Silent Sisters
by queenpearl
Summary: The story of the most famous atomic submarine in the western world, USS Thresher.
1. Prologue Birth

Prologue~ Birth

Bowfin was so exhausted she could care less if she was floating. The sunlight was unfamiliar to her. A part of a world that wasn't hers. Her world was a world of darkness and of silence, that dark void that lay below the waves where her kind flourished. But she was told for safety's sake that her pups had to be born above water. The old submarine groaned as contractions seized her. She wished her mate was here but the male submarine labeled as B-2 was miles away in the protected reserve in southern Florida. Bowfin ached from bow to stern and she panted in the heat. Other submarines gave berth below the water to prevent heat exhaustion that they would otherwise suffer. Bowfin did not have that luxury. "Come on, hurry up my dears or I won't be able to push you out!" She groaned.

Her prayers were answered several minutes later when, the most beautiful pair of pups Bowfin had ever seen squirmed and wriggled their way to her side. Pure blooded submarines would often surface on their own as long as they had the aid of their mothers to get their lungs working. So Bowfin began licking them. They both gave loud angry cries telling Bowfin her actions were unnecessary. She smiled and looked up to see her close friend Fletcher nearby. She had promised the destroyer the first peak. "Fletcher, if you can stop trying to dig a hole to China come meet my two daughters!" Bowfin called. "Two..." Fletcher raced over at flank speed. She settled beside her soul sister.

The two bundles nestled in Bowfin's side were clearly submarine in physical appearance. They had sleek, clean destroyer lines on their conning towers and one pup had her father's ice blue eyes. The other had Bowfin's green. "Aww, they're adorable." Fletcher cooed as they began to suckle. Bowfin smiled. "What should we name them?" She asked. "You are their mother, it is only fair I leave that honor to you." Fletcher replied. Bowfin laughed. "You're too modest." She said. "I'll name one, you name the other." She said. "Very well, darling." Fletcher replied. The one with the green eyes was named Thresher. Fletcher named the other Scorpion.

"Hey, Seawolf!" She called to her friend. The young submarine approached. "Yeah Bowfin?" She replied. "Can you watch these two for a bit. I'm gonna go cool off." Bowfin said. Since she was above water for the whole birthing process, Bowfin was in danger of suffering heat stroke. The only way to prevent that was to dive to her crush depth and sit there for several hours, letting the cold seawater rush over her. Seawolf nodded her understanding. "Be safe out there!" Fletcher called. "Always!" Bowfin replied and dove, the cool water washing over her decks until she was beyond the sight of the surface above.


	2. Chapter 1 Learning to Dive

Chapter 1~ Learning to Dive

Once Thresher and Scorpion were two months old, Bowfin began teaching them how to dive, and instantly regretted it. The two were some of the worst troublemakers she'd ever seen and their dive lessons served as another way to prank the unsuspecting ship.

Early one morning, Wisconsin was resting in the harbor after a long midshipman cruise after a tour in Korea. The battleship was hoping for a nap. Two little submarines however, were determined she would have to work for it. Thresher snickered as she watched her unsuspecting pray. "She won't see us coming." She giggled. Scorpion grinned. "Let's give him a good scare." She whispered back. Still snickering, the two subs dove down, their hulls brushing the silty bottom. Even at this depth, there was no room to sail under Wisconsin's keel due to the battleship's huge draught. But that didn't face the two youngsters who eagerly circled the unsuspecting battleship along the bottom.

Thresher gave a nod to Scorpion and the younger sub rose to periscope depth. Her keen eyes could see through the murky waters and she lined up with her target. Driving forward, she slammed her bow into Wisconsin's side. "Oh!" the battleship yelped. Thresher did the same on the other side. Wisconsin eyed Scorpion's periscope and timed her move carefully. Lunging forward, her head disappeared beneath the water and she reemerged with the submarine clasped firmly in her jaws.

"Nice catch Wisconsin!" Gearing, a new destroyer, called. Wisconsin grinned. "Thank you." She replied. "It's no fish, but it'll have to do." She gazed hard at the wriggling mass in her jaws. "Now are you going to stop playing games or am I going to have to eat you for lunch?" Scorpion struggled a bit more before giving up. "You wouldn't eat me." She squeaked. "Oh yeah, try me!" Wisconsin growled and tossed the sub high in the air, catching her again in her jaws. She squealed in laughter. Thresher joined in and pounced on Wisconsin. "Give up my sister you red monster!" She yowled. Wisconsin rolled over. "Oh no, save me!" She wailed dramatically in a frighteningly accurate Russian accent. The other ships watching laughed. "I'm being attacked by two crazy Amerikans!" Thresher and Scorpion pounced on Wisconsin's belly and the three had great fun until Bowfin intervened. "Thresher, Scorpion quit torturing the poor battleship!" She called. Still giggling in mirth, the two subs slid neatly off Wisconsin's belly and into the water, bouncing to their mother with silly grins on their faces.

Bowfin gave her two kids a quick lick. "Go and find your stepmother now." She ordered. "Yes mamma!" Thresher squeaked and the two raced off. "Little demons." Wisconsin chuckled, righting herself. "Thank you for rescuing me." Bowfin laughed. "They're a handful alright. I haven't seen a pair of more mischievous subs." "Likely Fletcher's doing." Wisconsin said. "Lord knows I've had plenty of pranks pulled on me by her and her siblings." Bowfin laughed. "Very likely." She agreed. "But they're becoming too much of a handful for me at my age. I was hoping to ask you if you could help me manage them." Wisconsin dipped her head. "I'd be honored to." She said. "I'm likely going to be stuck here in Norfolk anyway." Bowfin gave a sad smile. "Isn't that the truth." She sighed. Wisconsin nuzzled her. "Hey, you know it would happen eventually. It'll likely occur to you as well. We're from the same era after all." She said. Bowfin nodded and sighed. "If only we had a few more decades." She murmured.

Thresher and Scorpion meanwhile had located their stepmother but had no intentions of letting Fletcher know that. Unlike with Wisconsin, they could sail under Fletcher's keel easily. As they went up on either sides of her bow, just below the surface Fletcher growled "I'm looking to eat a big whale, don't make me mistake you two for that." Seconds later, Scorpion and Thresher broke the surface. "Hi mom." They squealed. "How'd you know we were there?" "You were making enough noise for the Russians to hear ya!" Fletcher replied. "You need to be quiet." Thresher nodded. "Yes momma." She replied. Fletcher smiled warmly at her two kids. "Haven't been up to too much trouble?" She asked. "Maybe a bit." Thresher replied. "Just try to behave. I don't want you two facing an XOI before you're even commissioned." Fletcher ordered. "Yes mamma." Scorpion replied, snuggling against the destroyer's gray hull. Thresher did the same. Fletcher smiled at her two sleepy daughters and curled around them as the three settled in for a nap.


	3. Chapter 2 A New Source of Power

Chapter 2~ A New Source of Power

Wisconsin's prediction had come true. She was indeed decommissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and that was where she'd reside for the next 30 years. Bowfin relied on her heavily to watch Scorpion and Thresher as she became pregnant with her second batch. _"I'm getting too old for this."_ She thought as she rested against the dock. Her rest was interrupted when Scorpion decided to have a little fun. "Mamma!" She squealed, nipping her stern. Bowfin yelped and whirled around, eying her teenage daughter sternly. "Scorpion you know better than to bite someone." She said. "Yes mamma." She mumbled. Bowfin licked her. "Good girl. Think you can be quiet for a little while?" She asked. "Yes mamma." Scorpion replied. "Then do so." Bowfin said and curled up, ready for a nap. Scorpion approached her and pressed her muzzle to her mother's side, purring as she snuggled up against her. Bowfin opened one eye. "Aren't you getting a little to old for cuddling." "Nope!" Bowfin chuckled, content to rest.

Thresher meanwhile, was playing games with Wisconsin. The old battleship was teaching her how to sneak up on enemy ships. So far, the submarine wasn't doing so well. Once, she was too shallow and Wisconsin could see her coming. Another time she was too deep to get a shot off. But all around, she was just plain noisy. Wisconsin's sonar could detect the rumbling of her engines from miles away and she also couldn't stop laughing. As she drew in closer, Wisconsin listened carefully and she heard her gleeful giggling. She sighed. "Three, two, one..." She dodged out of the way as she leaped over her head. "Gotya!" She laughed then tumbled across the water. She groaned. "You heard me huh?" She said. "Only a lot. You're still laughing too much. I know you think this is a game but it isn't. You need to learn how to be silent. That's the only way you can survive. A noisy sub..." "Is a dead sub. Yeah, yeah. You've told me that a hundred times." She grumbled. Wisconsin smiled. "I'm just trying to teach you valuable life skills." She said. "Ugh, you sound like my mom!" She grumbled.

Wisconsin was about to answer when a portly man approached. Wisconsin straightened up. "Ah, Admiral. What can I do for you?" She asked. "I've come to borrow Thresher for a little while. Would you mind? It'll only be for a few hours." Wisconsin sighed. "I should've expected this." She muttered. "Very well, she's yours." She motioned with her bow for the submarine to come closer. Thresher did and when she got close enough, she straightened her sail and used her fins to lift her bow out of the water. "As you were." The Admiral ordered and Thresher dropped back down. She was tiny for her age, as was Scorpion but what the Admiral had in mind would change all that. Most submarines didn't hit puberty until they were 3 and Thresher was no exception. The Admiral held out his hand, in it was a gummy worm. Thresher licked it off his hand, eagerly chowing down on it. He laughed and got his hands under her belly, scooping her up. She was only 3 feet long and weighed 40 pounds so it wasn't an issue to carry her. Thresher poked her head out through the Admiral's arms, a piece of the gummy worm still dangling down out of her mouth. Wisconsin laughed. It was so precious. "Where are we going?" Thresher squeaked as the Admiral left. "We're going to the fitters." He replied. "Ooh, can Scorpion come?" Thresher asked. The Admiral laughed. "No. It's just you this time." He replied. She pouted a bit but the warmth of the Admiral soothed her and she yawned, revealing a mouthful of tiny serrated baby teeth. She buried her muzzle in his chest. She was a precious looking thing. He stroked her head gently and her purrs eventually quieted as she went to sleep.

Thresher was taken to the fitters and placed gently on a small table. She was still fast asleep but that didn't stop the doctors from injecting morphine into her. A quiet sigh escaped the sub and not once did she stir the whole time the procedure was going on. She woke a few hours later when it was done and she yawned, looking around her. She spotted the admiral nearby, watching her. "Is this the fitters?" She asked curiously. He nodded. "Yes, you were asleep for most of it though." He said. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She yelped. He laughed. "Oh it's alright. I would've preferred you be asleep." He said. He reached down and scooped her up, more carefully this time. "Can I go back to Wisconsin now?" She asked. "No, not yet. See, you went through a new procedure and I can't have you back in the water yet or it might come undone." He replied, showing her a mirror. She yelped at the sight of the big scar on the underside of her belly. "Wha-what is that?" Her propeller twitched. "My-my engines..." She whimpered. "Something was done to them. They're different." He nodded. "Aye, you don't run on diesel anymore Thresher." He said. "I-I'm nuclear. I heard Enterprise talk about it." She whispered. "That's right. If the procedure worked, you won't have to worry about refueling except once every 15-20 years." He said. "That's incredible!" She said. "It is a marvel isn't it." He chuckled. "But you can't go in the water until that wound heals. You don't want it to be reopened do you?" He asked. "And have all my guts hanging out, no thanks!" She growled. He laughed. "Then how would you like to stay with me?" He asked. "Really?" She squealed. He stroked her and she purred, licking his hand. He set a basket with blankets in it beside her. "Can you crawl in there?" He asked. She giggled, licking his hand once more before using her fins to flop across the bed and into the basket. She shifted around and the Admiral placed a pair of blankets over her. "Now stay under there until I give the signal." he said. "Why?" She asked, lowering herself down as he asked. "Because you'll be a surprise to the misses." He replied. She giggled and agreed.

The Admiral carried the large basket out of the hospital, receiving knowing looks and a few coos from the doctors. "He's gone soft." One whispered. "Well not on you, so back to work!" The Admiral growled. "The older they get, the grouchier they get." The doctor laughed and raced away. The Admiral carried the basket and set it down in the passenger's side of the car before he got in the driver's side. Turning the engine over, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove home. "Is the missus nice?" Thresher asked, tossing off the blankets. "Very nice." The Admiral replied. "Should I call her missus?" She asked. He laughed. "Caroline would do." He replied. "As for me, Ivan will do." She giggled. "Okay Ivan." She squeaked. "Alright, back under the blankets now. We're here." He said. "When I rap three times on the basket, you appear alright." "Alright." She agreed.

Thresher ducked down and Ivan covered her again. He carried the basket up to the front door and went inside. Caroline was in the kitchen making dinner when she heard him come in. She stepped out into the hall and greeted him with a kiss. "What's in the basket darling?" She asked, noticing it. "Oh, just a little something we get to keep for a few weeks." He replied with a shrug, giving the basket 3 taps with his fingers. On cue, a little black head appeared out of the blankets. Caroline was ecstatic. "A baby submarine, oh she's adorable!" She cooed, tickling Thresher under her chin. The powder on her hands from the cooking made Thresher sneeze but she nudged Caroline's hand gently with her nose. "What should we call her?" She asked. "She already has a name, Thresher." Ivan replied. "Hello Thresher." Caroline said. "Hello missus." Thresher squeaked. Caroline laughed. "Please, Caroline will do." She replied. She picked Thresher out of the basket, holding her in blankets. "How old is she?" She asked her husband. "6 weeks." he replied. "So little..." Caroline murmured. "She's far from being weaned. How does some milk sound." She asked. Thresher grinned. "Delicious." She replied. Caroline smiled. "Tell you what, you help me finish in the kitchen and I'll feed you a bottle alright." She asked. "Alright." Thresher giggled. "You sure you don't need any help?" Ivan asked. Caroline shook her head. "The boys won't be home for another hour. I can manage." She replied. "Well alright. I'll be in my study room if you need me." Ivan said and left.


	4. Chapter 3 Part of the Family

Chapter 3~ Part of the Family

In the kitchen, Caroline was busy making dinner. Thresher remained alongside and boy was the little sub enjoying herself. She held a tasting spoon in her mouth as Caroline stirred the noodles she had cooking in the pan. When they were soft enough, she took one out and set it on Thresher's spoon. Thresher eagerly opened her mouth and let Caroline drop the noodle inside. "Chewy." The submarine said. "Not hard?" Caroline asked. Thresher shook her head. "Mmm, mmmm. Not tasty though." She said. Caroline laughed. "I'll let you try one with butter later." She said. Thresher grinned and eagerly watched Caroline as she cooked.

The sound of the door closing and feet running down the hall told Caroline the boys were home. They burst into the kitchen. "Hi mom! What's cooking?!" The older one asked. Caroline shook her finger sternly. "Now is that any way to greet your mother?" She asked. "No." He mumbled. "How was school?" Caroline asked. "Good." He mumbled. "Just good, Jacob? What about you Avery?" She asked her other son. "Well enough. Math stinks." Avery grumbled. "Well you keep working hard and I'm sure you'll learn." Caroline assured him. Jacob saw Thresher. "Mom, is that a puppy?" He asked. Caroline laughed. "Oh, no. This is Thresher. She'll be staying with us for a few weeks while she recovers from surgery." She replied. "A baby submarine." He moved forward and placed his hand slowly under Thresher's nose. Thresher sniffed it and gave him a lick. "Aww, she likes you." Avery said. "Ah shut up!" Jacob growled. Avery now came forward and Thresher licked him as well. "She likes both of us." He said. "I said shut up, before I make you!" Jacob growled. "I'll make both of you shut up if you don't stop fighting this instant." Caroline hissed, waving her spoon menacingly. Jacob and Avery raced out of the kitchen.

Dinnertime came quickly. Ivan sat at the head of the table, his wife on his left side and Jacob, who was clearly the eldest on the left. Thresher was across from Avery strapped into a baby booster chair. She had a few little tidbits of food that Caroline had given her to munch on. She started with the noodles and as Caroline had said, they were delicious with butter on them. Thresher turned out to be even messier than a human baby and she ended up with food all over her bow and all over her chair. Caroline sighed, using a bib to wipe the sub's face. Having no hands made her job of eating like a human a lot tougher.

Once dinner was over the boys played with Thresher until the sub was clearly exhausted. "Okay, now it's off to bed with you both." Caroline ordered. "Can Thresher stay in my rom?" Avery asked. "No she's staying in my room!" Jacob replied. "Thresher is staying in our room to start off with!" Caroline said. Thresher giggled in excitement. The boys whined but agreed. Caroline picked up Thresher who was wrapped in a bundle of blankets and coddled her. "Alright sweetie, time for bed." Caroline said. Thresher yawned in reply. "Mmm..." She murmured. Caroline smiled and carried her into the baby basket that was set right next to Ivan's side of the bed. "What ever happened to caring for the baby in the middle of the night being a mommy's job?" He asked. "I thought you were her mommy." Caroline replied. "And besides, you know more about caring for baby subs than I do." She said. He snorted but she did have a point. As soon as Thresher was set in the baby cradle she began to whine and wail. Ivan sighed and looked at his wife. "Just for tonight?" He asked. "Just for tonight." She replied and Ivan plucked Thresher out of the cradle, setting her down in a little bundle between them. She snuggled up against Ivan who put his arms around her. She purred, settling into his chest as she yawned and she quickly fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 4 Playtime

Chapter 4~ Playtime!

Thresher quickly settled in. On school days, she'd help Caroline out around the house, either being carried around in a hand basket or flopping across the floor like a seal behind her. "You're a good little helper aren't you." Caroline cooed, tickling Thresher under her chin. Thresher giggled.

When the boys got home they finished their homework as fast as possible and immediately went to playing with Thresher. The little submarine was always craving attention and had become more of a pet than a guest in the house. Even Ivan found himself going soft on her. Caroline had caught him giving her a belly rub the other day.

Now it was Saturday, the weekend and the whole family was home. Ivan had managed to take some time off work and a camping trip was planned for a small park out of town. So the family packed up their camping gear, with extra blankets and a basket for Thresher and set off. Thresher played with the boys most of the way there and when she got tired, she rested on Caroline's lap. Her sail twitched a bit as she dreamed and Caroline thought her the most precious thing she'd ever seen.

The family arrived at the campground and Ivan had the car unloaded while Caroline and the boys set up the tents. Thresher, placed in her basket, watched them. Once everything was set up, the campground was filled with squeals of laughter as the boys ran around with Thresher in tow. They played games of tug a war, they holding onto one end of a rope and Thresher the other. Despite appearances, the little submarine was very strong and she easily pulled the two boys into the mud on multiple occasions. Hide and seek was another fun game and one that Thresher was very, very good at. Even with her eyes closed she could hear where the boys were going. After all, as a submarine, sight wasn't her most important since. Sound and smell however were and there was a lot of that to find around here.

On the second night there, Thresher was taken outside on a leash one last time before going to bed. Like a dog, she was ordered to go potty and come back to bed. Thresher however wasn't interested in going to bed just yet and her nose picked up something interesting. Something that made her mouth water. "Mmm..." She murmured quietly and tugged at the leash. It gave way instantly and Caroline didn't know she'd broken free until she pulled the leash in. "Oh no, Thresher!" She called. There was no answer in the darkness.

At another campsite, a few spots down, another family was enjoying cooking hotdogs over the fire. "Hey Matt, hand me another hot dog would you!" "You are insatiable Sarah how many hot dogs have you had?" Matt grumbled as he reached for the hot dogs. Sarah shrugged. "4." She replied. "You're gonna get fat." Matt said. Sarah stuck her tongue out at him and Matt stuck his right back. Thresher was watching from under the wheels of the car and she scuffled forward, careful to be as quiet as possible. Her lessons with Wisconsin paid off. She snatched up the bag of hot docks and began devouring them and plucked the wiener out of Matt's hand when she finished those. Matt noticed he didn't have a hot dog in his hand and looked down to see Thresher finishing it off. "Looks like we've got a little thief." he said. Thresher looked up with wide, innocent eyes and grin. She gave a belch. "Well excuse you." Matt laughed and picked her up, looking at the tags that Caroline had put around her neck. "Thresher, eh?" He asked. "Well you are the funniest looking dog I've ever seen." "She's not a dog." Sarah said, staring at Thresher in awe. "She's a baby submarine." Thresher giggled and nodded. Matt ran his fingers along her side and Thresher rolled over for him, belly up. "She's got a funny looking scar." He mused. "She must've gotten her nuclear engines." Sarah said. "How do you know so much?" Matt asked her. She shrugged. "I just do." She replied with a giggle. "You're an oddball, you know that." Matt said. "I know." She replied with an all to innocent smile."

Caroline came rushing up then. "Thresher, oh thank goodness." She said. "How did you find her?" She asked Matt. "She found us." Sarah replied. "Ate all of our hotdogs too. Snatched one right out of my hand. Sneaky little thief." Matt grumbled. "I'm sorry." Caroline said sincerely. "We're trying to teach her manners." Matt handed her Thresher and Caroline gave the sub a light swat. "Don't run off again." She said. "Yes Caroline." Thresher squeaked and Caroline carried her back to the tent. "So you found her?" Ivan asked, sitting up in bed. "Where was she?" Avery asked. "In another campsite, a few blocks down. One of the people there said she ate all the hotdogs." Caroline replied. Avery laughed. "All of them?" He asked as he high fived with Jacob. "Every last one, snatched one out of a man's hand too." Caroline said. Ivan laughed. "She's getting to be sneakier by the day." He said. "Good girl." He patted Thesher's head and the submarine licked his hand. "Good? She has no manners, she's no better than a common dog!" Caroline cried. "She's a submarine, not a human and most certainly not a pet!" Ivan said. "No excuse for her to behave like that. She should have some decency." Caroline exclaimed. "And waste valuable stalking skills, not a chance." Ivan laughed, stroking Thresher gently. Thresher yawned and relaxed against him, curling up at his side. He smiled and put the sleeping back over her, her little snout just sticking out. Caroline sighed, even she couldn't remain mad at the cute sight and so she crawled into bed herself, turned off the lamp and the family went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 5 Sickness

Chapter 5~ Sickness

A few days after the family got home was when the first signs of it appeared. It started in Ivan as a bad head cold. Deep, painful coughs wracked him as he sat at his desk working. Thresher was sitting in her basket on his desk and she whimpered. He reached out and pet her. "Hey, it's alright." He said. She licked his hand and gazed up at him with wide, worried eyes. Ivan smiled reassuringly at her and turned back to his work.

The boys, Avery and Jacob were next and Caroline had them put in bed. She herself wasn't feeling all that well but she soldiered on for her boys. Late one afternoon, Caroline was busy with the laundry. Thresher was wondering around the room, playing hide and seek in the laundry. When Caroline went to pick up a batch of laundry she heard a sniffling sound. Removing the clothes carefully revealed Thresher but Caroline could see something was wrong. The little submarine wasn't giggling or smiling like she usually was when she played her little games. She huddled as close to the floor as she possibly could, shivering and whimpering. Her nose ran and she was trying to wipe it off. "Oh not you too..." Caroline groaned. She scooped her up and carried her out into the hall. "IVAN!" She called. A cough was heard before the reply. "In here Caroline!" Ivan replied. Not wanting to risk anyone else getting sick, Ivan decided to work from home. Caroline entered. "Ivan, I think Thresher's sick too." She said. "Let me see her." He said. Caroline handed him the little shivering bundle. Thresher perked up a bit at seeing Ivan but her face screwed up and she sneezed loudly, her nose twitching. Her whole body went ridged as she coughed. Ivan stroked her gently and this calmed her some. "Keep her warm." He said. "And have at least one eye on her at all times. For us it's a simple cold but for her it could be deadly." Caroline nodded and took Thresher to lay her down for bed. Thresher gave no resistance as she was wrapped in blankets and set down gently into her cradle. Caroline took her temperature to find it was already at 101 degrees. With a little bit of a struggle, she managed to get a spoonful of cough medicine into the sub. "Now you rest." She said, tucking her in. "Yes Caroline." Thresher replied, coughing. She rolled on her side, relaxing. Periodically, her coughs could be heard down the hall.

By the next day the boys were running around and enjoying their time off school. Ivan was going back to work and Caroline was on the mend as well. But it seemed nothing could be done to help poor Thresher. She just got sicker and sicker. Nothing they gave her helped. Her temperature was recorded at 103. Caroline carried her around everywhere, always holding and caring for her. The boys made no fuss, behaving themselves surprisingly well. They knew that she needed to care for Thresher. Ivan thus took over the kitchen.

Late that night he entered their room with a plate of food, finding Caroline awake and sitting next to Thresher's cradle as she tried to feed the submarine. "She was throwing up earlier today. I'm trying to get some food back into her." She said. Ivan sighed. "Still no improvement?" He asked. Caroline shook her head. "What if it's something worse? She's not doing well, Ivan." She said. Ivan sighed and looked at his submarine. She was his, in a sense. He was the admiral in charge of the submarines here at Norfolk. But Thresher, she was more than that to him. She had become family and seeing her like this was like seeing his own child suffering. Any other man would've ordered her euthanized but Ivan couldn't bring himself to do that. He placed two fingers gently to Thresher's forehead. "She's burning, haven't you given her something for her fever?" He asked. "I've given her everything we have!" Caroline cried. "Nothing is working." Some sense Ivan had, probably from the admiral side of him, told him that there was something more wrong with Thresher than just a cold. He didn't doubt her ability to fight a simple cold off but if something more serious was the matter with her, he'd better find it and quickly. Gently, so as not to startle her, he ran his fingers along her side. Thresher stayed still and actually began to relax under his stroking, until he touched a spot just aft of her sail. She gave a small whimper, every muscle on her tensing. Her propeller twitched. Ivan paused and pressed the spot again, feeling around. Thresher whimpered louder and when Ivan pressed down she actually wailed. "Stop, it hurts!" She sobbed. "I'm sorry." He said. He stroked her head gently and she calmed down again.

He backed off. "Ivan, what's the matter. You're as white a sheet." Caroline said. "You were right darling." Ivan said. "There is something more wrong with her." "What, what is it?!" Caroline cried. Ivan replied, his voice no more than a whispered "Appendicitis."


	7. Chapter 6 The Race to Save a Life

Chapter 6~ The Race to Save a Life

Silence fell upon Ivan speaking that word. Caroline stared at her husband, then at the little bundle whimpering under the blankets in the cradle. "Appendicitis? Are you sure..." She whispered. "Positive." Ivan replied, tracing a finger lightly over Thresher's healing scar. The submarine whimpered. "Easy now." Ivan said, picking her up. He wrapped the blanket around her. "I'll have to take her to the clinic." He said. "I'll come with." Caroline said, reaching for her purse. Ivan, with Thresher in his arms, went into the boys' room. "Avery, Jacob!" He thundered. The boys immediately stopped playing and stood at attention upon hearing their father's "admiral voice" as they called it. "Your mother and I are going to the hospital. I want you two to stay here and behave yourselves, alright?" Ivan said. "Yes father." Jacob said. "Why are you going to the hospital, is something wrong with Thresher?" Avery asked. Ivan sighed, stroking the near still bundle of blankets. "She has appendicitis son." He replied quietly. "Will-will she die." Avery stammered. "We'll do all that we can to ensure she won't." Ivan growled. "Be good!" He said and turned on his heel, walking out and closing the door behind him.

Caroline met him down at the car. She got in the passenger side and Ivan set Thresher down on her lap. The little submarine just gave a small whimper, trying to curl up as best she could. Ivan closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. He put the keys in the ignition and backed out of the driveway. It was a 15 minute drive to the hospital in regular traffic and while Ivan had a government ID on his license plate to prevent him from getting tickets, he'd rather not risk getting in an accident. He couldn't have gone fast anyway. It was rush hour and everyone was trying to commute either in or out of Norfolk. "Damn it!" Ivan hissed and honked his horn. "Move it gramps!" He growled. Thresher actually jumped at this. She began to cry as the movement caused her pain. "Ivan!" Caroline scolded, trying to soothe the hurting submarine. Ivan reached over with one hand and gently stroked her head like he always did. Usually, Thresher would purr and nudge his hand back. As it was, she just managed a weak, sad little smile and curled up under the blankets again. Ivan sighed. Just when he got going again the car in front of him slammed on the brakes forcing Ivan to do the same. "Idiot!" He swore, slamming his hand down on the horn again. He got a finger in reply. "That bastard better be glad I'm not on duty!" Ivan hissed. A retching sound made him look to see bloody vomit all over the blankets and Caroline's lap. Thresher was in the middle of it and she gave an apologetic chirp. Caroline gently dabbed her mouth with a clean edge of the blanket. "It's alright." She said. Thresher coughed, her little sail quivering and barfed again. Ivan winced. He wanted nothing more than to hurry but the damn traffic wasn't working with him.

The normally 15 minute drive took about 3 hours and by the time they got to the hospital, Thresher was barely responsive. Her eyes rolled around in her head and her tongue lolled. Caroline ran up to the door, holding the little sub in her arms. They raced into the emergency area of the hospital and came up to the front desk. The young man sitting behind it looked up. "Ah, what do we have here?" He asked. "Please, this little sub has appendicitis. She'll die if she doesn't get into surgery right away." Caroline replied, breathless. The man frowned. "Let me see her." He said. Caroline held the little bundle out to him. The man pushed the blanket's back to reveal Thresher's head. The little sub had her eyes closed and she was barely breathing. Her normally night black hull had turned pale gray. The man swallowed before replying "We can't do anything for her. I can bring in the needle but that's about it." "No, please you have to try!" Caroline cried. "This is a veterinary hospital. We deal with pets and livestock and the last I checked, submarines were neither of those." The man replied. Ivan leaned forward, giving the man his best glare and spoke in low, dangerous tones. "You will take USS Thresher to surgery and you will do it now." Ivan growled quietly. The man gulped. "Y-yes sir." He replied. He nervously picked up the phone and punched in a few numbers. "Maria, get down here. I have a sick sub that needs surgery. No not in a minute, now!" The man growled and hung up.

A pretty looking nurse appeared through the door. "This way please." She said. Ivan gestured for Caroline to go first and with Thresher in hand, they walked quickly down the hallway. They entered one of the simple check up rooms. "Let me see her." The nurse said. Caroline handed her the little bundle and the nurse set her down on the table and unwrapped Thresher from her blankets. She sucked in a breath. Along Thresher's left side was a little bulge, caused by the swelled appendix. "It's about to burst." She breathed and quickly scooped up Thresher. "Come with me, quickly!" The woman growled and raced down the hall and up some stairs. Several other nurses and doctors joined her. Thresher had her head resting on the nurses' shoulder and she opened her eyes then, looking at Ivan running along behind her. She struggled and the nurse stroked her. "Shh, shhh." She said. "Daddy don't let them take me!" Thresher wailed as she was set down on a rolling table. "Don't let them take me daddy please!" Ivan stroked her. "Shh, shh, it's alright. You'll be alright. I'm here." Ivan said. "Sir, please we have to operate now or we're gonna lose her." A doctor said. "I'll see you soon. You won't even know how much time has past." Ivan said. "Like the fitters?" Thresher asked. "Yes, just like the fitters. I'll be there when you wake up, I promise." He said. Thresher whimpered, calmed somewhat but as the doctors began to roll her away from Ivan she started crying again. "No, no I want my daddy! Stop!" She wailed. Her cries sounded all across the floor.

Ivan put his arms around Caroline as she fell into him. Now came the hardest part, waiting...


	8. Chapter 7 Recovery

Chapter 7~ Recovery

It was a good 14 hours before a doctor approached Ivan, who was pacing back and forth while his wife slept on the couch in the waiting room. Ivan stopped his pacing upon seeing the doctor. "Well, is she alright?!" He cried. "She's incredibly lucky. You got her here just in time. Another hour, it would've burst and she would've died." The doctor replied. "Can-can I see her?" Ivan asked. "Follow me." The doctor replied and led him to the room. Ivan considered waking Caroline but he decided against it. He entered and found Thresher lying on her side, hooked up to an IV drip. She had a few other wires in her but she seemed to be resting quite soundly. "As soon as we gave her the morphine, she was out. Hasn't stirred since." The doctor said.

Ivan pulled up a chair close to the head of the bed and sat down, placing a hand gently over Thresher's head. The steady beeping of the heart machine assured him and he stroked Thresher gently. A quiet purr escaped her and she nudged his hand. Shifting a bit, her eyelids fluttered and Ivan found her green gaze upon him. "Daddy?" She squeaked. "I'm here, sweetie." Ivan replied. She purred. "What happened?" She whimpered. "My tummy hurts." "I know sweetie, it's because you had something go wrong there and we had to do another operation." He replied. "Another scar?" She asked, glancing at her belly. There was a large scar that crisscrossed her previous one farther down, just before her aft planes. "Oh..." She whispered. "M-my appendix?" She asked. Ivan nodded. "They got to it just in time. Another hour and..." Thresher closed her eyes and nodded silently. "You saved my life..." She whispered. "No, I... the doctor's..." Ivan stammered. "You did." She fixed him with an intense stare. "You saved me, father." She nuzzled his arm, looking up at him with wide eyes. Ivan stroked her. "Well, I couldn't just let you die. You're my little girl." He said. She giggled and as he leaned in closer, she snuggled into his chest. "Rest now Thresher." He ordered. She yawned and her purrs quieted into soft snores as she fell asleep. "Sleep well darling." He said and let her be.

Thresher recovered quickly enough to be released from the hospital after a few days. She was carried in her basket, looking and acting as lively as ever. She was playing with the boys that very afternoon though she ended up opening her wound a bit, causing some minor bleeding. Caroline scolded her for it. "You need to be more careful Thresher. You don't want to go back to the hospital do you?" She asked. "No momma." Thresher replied. Caroline stuck a bandage to her hull. "Alright, now no more roughhousing." She ordered. "Yes momma." Thresher replied and flopped out. She'd spent so much time on land that her planes were bent and not straight so she moved around like a seal. Caroline was concerned on how this would affect her in the water but she doubted it'd bother Thresher much.

The submarine was reaching the age where she needed to be weaned and started on a fish diet. So Caroline began giving her sushi. Thresher eagerly through herself onto the new food. She wasn't hard to be weaned like other submarines would be. Soon after she hit her growth spurt like Ivan had expected.

One morning, the family went to a pet store. Thresher was on a leash, Avery walking her. Ivan walked up to the front desk. "Hi, how can I help you?" The receptionist asked. "I was told you keep some submarine food in the back." Ivan said. "Yes we do. I'll need to see an ID though." She replied. Ivan handed her his military ID and she scanned it. "How much do you need?" She asked. "20 lbs." He replied. "Must be a big submarine." She mused. "And only getting bigger." Ivan said. She smiled. "Will that be all?" She asked. "Yes." He replied. "Very well Admiral, I'll be right back." She said and headed off towards the back of the store, getting another employee to help her as she went.

Ivan heard a crash behind him and turned to see that Thresher had knocked over the cat food. Avery was trying to restrain the growing sub but it wasn't easy. Thresher was now six feet long and weighed 140 pounds, about as much as a St. Bernard but she was twice as strong. Her powerful jaws made short work of the containers as she began to eat the contents inside. "Oh, no. Thresher!" Avery groaned, tugging on the leash. Thresher gave a cross between a laugh and a burb as she chowed down. Jacob joined in and together the two managed to get the submarine away from the cat food. "Ugh, I can already smell the farts." Avery moaned. Ivan stifled a snicker as the receptionist returned. "Oh my!" She said. "I am so sorry about that." Ivan said as Thresher knocked over another shelf worth of Friskies. He grimaced. "I can see why you'll need 20 lbs. of food." She laughed. "Don't worry, no charge." She said. "You sure?" Ivan asked. "I'm sure, it's fine." She said. "We've had worse." "How so?" Ivan asked. She gave him a dead serious look and replied "You don't wanna know." He laughed but cringed as Thresher knocked over a third crate of Friskies.


	9. Chapter 8 Back in the Water

Chapter 8~ Back in the Water.

The weeks passed and while Thresher's scars had yet to fully heal, she was too big to stay in the house anymore. She was also growing increasingly hyperactive. Ivan had the boys take her on walks but that usually resulted in Thresher slipping her leash and leading the boys on a wild goose chase through the neighborhood, arriving home hours before they did. She could move very fast with her fins when she wanted to. Lord only knew how fast she'd be in the water.

One day, Ivan decided to take her to a local diving pool. Thresher climbed into the back seat easily, a silly grin on her face as always. As Ivan got in the driver's seat in front of her, she licked his hair back. "Ack, Thresher!" He exclaimed. She giggled, continuing her licking. Ivan just sighed, rolling his eyes as he started up the engine and drove away.

The pool was a few miles from Ivan's home, designed to help train athletes for the Summer Olympics. It was 30 feet deep and easily big enough to accommodate Thresher. It was time she learned how to be a proper submarine anyway. "But daddy, I don't wanna go in." She whined as she got out of the car. Ivan attached a leash to her. "Well, you're gonna have to. You can't live on land. You belong in the water." Ivan replied. "But it's cold and it's wet and..." Ivan rolled his eyes. "It won't kill you. Don't be such a baby." She stuck her tongue out at him. Ivan flicked it. She squealed and pulled back, pouting. "Don't give me that look." Ivan growled. "You're going in the water even if I have to throw you in." "I'm too heavy." She said smugly. "We'll see." He smirked.

He approached the front desk. The lady looked down at Thresher. "No pets allowed." She said. Before Ivan could answer, Thresher rose up, balancing herself on her stern planes. She fixed the lady with a stern glare, her teeth bared. "Easy Thresher." Ivan said, shoving a hand against her nose. Thresher was unperturbed. "Do I look like a pet to you?" She asked through clenched teeth. "What pet do you know of has two pairs of fins, a sail, and a bomb as a source of power?" The lady gulped and Thresher smirked. "I've got more than that too." She said, wiggling her torpedo hatch doors. "Thresher get down off the table now!" Ivan growled. Thresher sighed. "Yes sir." She agreed and dropped back down, glaring at the lady from the floor. She tugged at her leash impatiently. "R-right this way sir." the lady stammered. Thresher grinned and let Ivan lead her to the locker rooms. "That was very naughty of you." He scolded her. "She asked for it." Thresher replied. "I don't even have real weapons. The boys loaded them with lawn darts." She giggled. "You know better." He said. She just ignored him.

Sighing, Ivan quickly changed and then lead his sub to the main pool. Thresher eyed the water with distaste. "Smells funny." She said, scrunching up her nose. Ivan laughed. "That's the chlorine, keeps it clean." He said. "Keeps it clean by smelling dirty, most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." She sniffed. Ivan just sighed, not in the mood to scold her on her attitude. Instead, an idea began to form in his mind, a rather naughty idea. Unclipping Thresher's leash, Ivan lead her to the edge of the pool before leaping in. Thresher flinched back as some of the droplets struck her. "Ick!" She whined. Ivan surfaced, tossing the hair out of his eyes. "Oh come on you big baby." He said. "You can do it, come on. Jump to me. I know you can." Thresher shook her head. "No thank you, I'll stay dry." She replied, settling down on the edge, resting her head over the water. _"Icky, smelly water. I ain't swimming in that, no way!"_ She thought. Ivan smirked, she was falling right into his trap. A group of people snuck up downwind of her, using her blind spot to their advantage. She could neither see, hear, or smell them. Getting their hands under her stern fins and propeller, they lifted her stern up and pushed forward, forcing the sub into the water. Thresher yelped, disheartening below the surface for a few seconds before popping up close to Ivan. She spat the water. "Ugh, it even tastes bad." She whined. Ivan laughed. She glared at him. "You are dead meat." She growled. Ivan swam away and growling, Thresher took off after him, using her fins to propel her. Ivan managed to outrun her though. "Slowpoke!" He laughed.

It had been a long time since Thresher had been in water but she still remembered how to use her engines, at least her diseal ones. "How does this thing work?" She wondered quietly as Ivan started circling her. "I'm gonna get ya!" he said. Then Thresher got it. "Oh no you're not." She said and took off in a shower of spray. Ivan spluttered and swam after her. "Who's the slowpoke now?" She laughed, circling around him. Ivan was awed at how easily she moved through the water. Only the top of her back and her sail were visible above the surface. She pressed him against the wall with his nose and Ivan, though he doubted his sub would hurt him, was still scared to be staring into such a hard green gaze. Thresher grinned and licked him relentlessly. "Ack, Thresher! Oh come on!" Ivan complained. She giggled. "What's that matter admiral?" She asked. Ivan patted her nose. "You know your slobber doesn't wash out." He said. "So?" She said.

Just then Ivan got another naughty idea. "So, why don't you use it on someone else." He said. Thresher grinned, her gaze sweeping to a group of people on the other end of the pool. "This'll be fun." She said. She turned broadside to him. "Climb on." She ordered. Using her sail as a handhold, Ivan hoisted himself up and over her back, riding her like a horse. "Better hold your breath." She said. Small spouts of water were seen as the air was released from her ballast tanks. Down she went, scraping the bottom of the pool before she leveled out. Ivan couldn't see more than a few meters in front of him but Thresher, with her protective lids, could see clearly to the end of the pool. She stalked up to them, not making a sound. She circled around a few times, ajusting her angle so her stern was pointing downwards. Then, she ran her tongue up a guys leg. The man yelped. "What was that?" He asked. He looked down to see a large round black shape just underneath him. Panicking, he shouted "Shark!" From there it was a rush to get out of the pool and Thresher, enjoying herself, came close enough to the surface for her sail to poke out, giving the impression of a shark fin. "It is a shark, run!" The man shouted. Thresher, as gently as she could, got her jaws around the man's leg and pulled him back into the water as he tried to climb up the latter. The man screamed and thrashed. Thresher rolled her eyes and tossed him up in the air, diving down to the very bottom of the pool and gathering herself before shooting straight up. She got him on her nose as she breached, soaking everyone nearby with the splash she made as she came down.

The man, trembling, gazed at her. "I'm no shark." Thresher assured him. The man nodded weakly and fainted. Thresher rolled her eyes. "Some people have no sense of humor." She whined.

A few minutes later, Ivan was leading his rambunctious submarine on a leash back to the car. "Suspended for life, well done Thresher." Ivan said sarcastically. "What, you got what you wanted didn't you?" Thresher asked as she opened the door with her teeth. "Yes, Thresher, yes I did." Ivan sighed.


	10. Chapter 9 Rebellion

Chapter 9~ Rebellion!

Ivan was sitting at his desk, trying to finish filing his fitreps for his captains when Thresher flopped into his room. Her eyes were wide and her tongue was lolling. Ivan had always been protective of his submarine. "What's the matter, Thresher?" he asked. "Caroline's gonna get me." She cried. "What did you do this time?" Ivan sighed. It wasn't the first time Thresher had come to him for asylum. Just last week she'd snatched up some of Caroline's prized chocolates, causing Ivan's wife to go on the rampage looking for her.

Before Thresher could answer his question a cry rang out. "THRESHER!" Ivan winced as his wife's cry sounded through the house. "What did she do this time?" He asked as she stalked by his office door. "The little thief snatched up Avery's laundry and rolled in the mud with it!" Caroline fumed. "I spent six hours getting the stains out of that shirt and now she's ruined it." Ivan bit back his laughter. Woman could be so sensitive when it came to laundry and when she was mad, Caroline was an armed atom bomb, waiting to be dropped. "Well, I hope you find her." He said as he turned back to his work. "You mean you're not helping me?!" She asked in disbelief. "Nope, this one's all yours." He replied. He could feel her withering glare as she stalked away. Ivan just laughed and turned back to his work. He looked down under his desk where a dark shape with bright green eyes was staring up at him. "Is she gone?" Thresher asked. "Yep." He replied. She sighed in relief and hauled her bulk out. "That was close." She said. "Thanks." "Next time don't go steeling the laundry." Ivan said. "Caroline can be quiet difficult when it comes to her house chores." "Alright." She agreed reluctantly. "Good girl, now get going before she comes back." Ivan said. Thresher grinned and flopped off. Ivan sighed and shook his head. _"She's getting to be a right little troublemaker."_ He thought. At six months, Thresher was at that age that humans get to be at when they turn 13. She was a teenager and it was only a matter of time before he had a rebellion on his hands.

Not two weeks later, Thresher raced into his office again. Ivan rolled his chair around. "Oh now what?" he groaned. "Please help me, I'm in big trouble." She whimpered. Ivan sighed and rolled his chair back. Thresher grinned and flopped over, squeezing herself under his desk. Ivan had just rolled back into place when Caroline stormed in. "Ivan!" She demanded. "Yes dear?" He sighed, focusing back on his work. "What has Thresher done this time?" He groaned. "How'd you know?" She asked. "I could hear you rampaging from downstairs." He replied. "Well, she dragged a whole mud puddle into the house!" Caroline cried. Underneath Ivan's desk, Thresher stifled a giggle. _"It was so fun."_ She thought. "Well, why come in here?" Ivan groaned. "Obviously she's not in here because there's no mud." "She left it all downstairs." Caroline said. "Just come and look at what she's done!" "yes I'm sure it's awful dear now please let me finish my work. These need to be sent off by tomorrow." Ivan said. Caroline huffed and slammed the door shut. Ivan rolled back his chair. "You're getting in the bathtub now." He growled. Thresher sighed and flopped over to the door, turning the knob with her teeth. "And Thresher!" Ivan called. "Yes?" She asked. "Don't rely on me for asylum again." He said. She nodded and ran out.

2 days later she was back. "Ivan help me!" She wailed. "What is it this time?" He groaned. "Um..." before Thresher could answer she could hear Caroline charging up the stairs. She flopped over to Ivan's desk. He blocked her way. "Oh no you don't. I told you, no more asylum." He said. "Please..." She begged. "Nope! You must face the consequences of your actions this time." He said. She looked around frantically for a place to hide as Caroline's footsteps got closer and closer and closer until the door banged open. Thresher squealed and dashed between Caroline's legs as she made a run for it. Caroline tore after and this time so did Ivan. "Get back here you little fishface!" Caroline shouted. Thresher was enjoying herself and giggled relentlessly as she flopped through the house. "Protect the sub!" The boys squealed and launched themselves at their parents. Eventually Thresher was caught and faced her punishment. She was told she would be grounded for a month with no privileges whatsoever. She'd do chores and that was it. "That's not fair!" She whined. "Yes it is! You've caused a lot of trouble around here so far and it's time you were taught a lesson." Caroline said. "You're the meanest mamma ever!" Thresher wailed. She raced away as fast as she could, racing out the front door, into the woods and down into the neighborhood streets. She moved as fast as her fins would let her. At last she reached the river and dove into it with ease. Being in the water calmed her, soothed her and she rode the currents east towards the coast. Her nuclear reactor gave her unlimited fuel and she went far, far far far east in a matter of hours. By day's end, she had gone almost 400 miles off the US coast. She was now in the middle of the Atlantic.

At some point along the way, the scent of the water began to change. It became fouler, smelling strongly of diesel. And the farther east Thresher went, the stronger the sent became. The subs acute senses soon began to pick up some strange ships. Curiosity drove her onwards and she found herself amongst another fleet, an unfamiliar fleet, a hostile fleet. She could hear their chatter, god they were making enough noise that it was a wonder China couldn't hear them. Their language was strange, not English. Thresher tried to recall what her mother had taught her about foreign ships. She was taught to trust those that spoke with a funny accent. Those were her closest allies, the Brits. The French she could trust too. But she was warned, from the time she could first understand her native tongue, to not go anywhere near the fleet in the east. They were dangerous, they were bloodthirsty and would kill to find a submarine like her lurking in their waters. Thresher knew now where she'd landed herself. "I'm in Soviet territory." She whispered. "Surrounded by their surface and subsurface ships. How am I going to get out of here?" She whimpered.


	11. Chapter 10 I am so Busted!

Chapter 10~ I Am So Busted~!

Thresher knew she'd done it now. She was in big trouble. As she listened to the sounds of the war games going on above her and all around her, she knew that she had to find a way out and fast. _"If they catch me here, I'm dead."_ She thought. Slowly, carefully she engaged her engines and backed away. No sooner had she done that did she pick up a dreaded sound. There was a torpedo in the water and it was coming straight for her. She didn't care if it was live or was a fake, either one would give her away. She whirled around, racing away as fast as her nuclear powered engines would let her. She didn't think about cavitation, she didn't care. She only cared about getting as far away from the Soviets as she could.

She managed to outrun the torpedo only to find another obstacle in her way. Directly in front of her was an Akula-class submarine. "Shit." Thresher cursed quietly. She maneuvered until she was directly behind the sub, in its blind spot. She followed it miles to the west until it made a 180 degree turn suddenly. _"The Crazy Ivan!"_ Thresher thought, panicked. It was headed straight for her. She gulped and closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable impact. Pain shot all up her port side and she cried out. Akula heard and stopped, listening for any more sign of the newcomer. "Ah fuck!" She heard it swore and stifled a laugh. American, she should've known. "Who are you?" She growled, her English less than perfect as her accent came through. "Thresher." came the reply. Akula's keen eyesight picked up on the other sub's form. She was tiny, not even full grown yet, a teenager. "Were you spying on me USS Thresher?" Akula growled. "Not USS, not yet." Thresher whimpered. "You're not commissioned?" Akula asked. "No, I just. I got mad at my family and I ran off. I didn't realize..." Thresher replied. "So you're lost then." Akula murmured. "Yes. Can you help me?" Thresher asked. An American asking a Soviet for help, and Akula thought she'd seen everything. But she could see that Thresher wasn't lying. She was far too young to be an active duty sub. Likely she had just run off and gotten herself lost. It was a big ocean out there and if one didn't know where they were going, it wouldn't be hard to do that. Akula sighed. Command would give her hell for this but she'd made her decision. Thresher was no threat to anyone just yet and though Akula could easily take her hostage or raise her as a Soviet she didn't have it in her to stoop that low. She'd save such tactics for when a real war broke out, if one ever did. She hoped and prayed that would never happen cause if it did, it'd be the end of everything. She circled around Thresher. "Can you move?" She asked. "Yes." Thresher whimpered. "Blow your ballast tanks and surface, let me see those wounds." Akula ordered. Thresher shrunk back. "Don't worry, the rest of the fleet's a long way off." Akula assured her. "How can I trust you?" Thresher asked. Akula stifled a laugh. Thresher may've been young, but even she knew what every American submarine had been told, never trust a communist. "What choice do you have? I could just leave you here to find your own way home." Akula replied. Thresher groaned. She had a feeling the Soviet's response would be something along those lines. "Okay." She agreed reluctantly and let Akula help her to the surface.

Thresher closed her eyes gratefully as she felt the sun on her face. She didn't like being underwater. She supposed it had to do with spending so much time on land. The ocean felt constricting, it was dark and frightening and she didn't like it but it felt natural to her. She moved with a grace that she could never have on land, slipping silently through the depths like the predator she was. Akula, seeing the wound on Thresher's port bow, tsked and said "I can put a temporary patch on but nothing more I'm afraid. You'll have to have something more permanent done when you reach Norfolk." Thresher noticed a bit of blood seeping from Akula's bow. "You're hurt." She noticed. "My own fault, I rammed you." Akula replied. "Yes but only because I was right in your blind spot." Thresher countered. "You were only trying to run away undetected, I happened to be heading the same direction as you." Akula said. "It's alright, I'll be fine." Thresher sighed and relented. "Ouch!" She hissed as Akula put something on her wound. "Hold still, this'll seal it off." The Soviet growled. Thresher grimaced a bit more but held still.

Soon enough the two subs were on their way. They traveled 200 feet below the surface, where light could still reach them. It was a long voyage, nearly a day and during that time Thresher got to know Akula a lot better. The Soviet told her much about her time with the submarine force and Thresher told her all about her days on land. "You did what?" Akula asked when Thresher got to the part about the swimming pool. "I pretended to be a shark. Unfortunately I was kicked out for that. Some people have no sense of humor." She complained. Akula laughed. "When I was a pup I did something similar though it was the admiral in charge of the submarine force, not a simple swimmer. I was cleaning barnacles off ships' hulls for months." She said. Thresher giggled. "Was it worth it though?" She asked. "Oh yes. The look on his face was priceless." Akula replied and both subs laughed hard. Akula paused suddenly, shaking her head back and forth. Her eyes flashed briefly with pain. Thresher stopped, concerned. "You alright?" She asked. "I'm fine, we're nearly into American waters. Once we reach the border, you're on your own. I doubt anyone will take kindly to having a Soviet in these parts." "But you're around here all the time aren't you?" Thresher asked. Akula laughed. "Not gonna answer that." She replied.

Reaching the border, Thresher and Akula said their goodbyes. "No more wondering into my waters anymore alright." Akula said. "Not a chance." Thresher replied. "Will I see you again?" She asked. Akula shrugged. "I know I shouldn't say this but I hope so, Thresher. I hope so." She nuzzled the American. "Take care." She murmured. "You too." Thresher replied. Akula turned and sailed away, eastward into the gloom. Thresher watched her long after she'd disappeared. A glance on her sonar told her though that the Soviet had stopped just outside her visual range and her depth was rising. Akula wasn't moving forward at all, rather she was going straight down, as if she was sinking. "Oh no." Thresher whispered. "Akula!" She yowled, racing back to her friend. She should've known earlier that something was wrong. Akula's depth read 600 feet while Thresher was at 400 feet. She was diving as fast as she could. Her own crush depth was around 1500 feet and while she wasn't sure what Akula's was, she assumed it was somewhere in that area. Thresher went faster, feeling her hull creak and groan at the discomfort of the rapidly changing depths. She could care less about compression sickness, her only worry was Akula. "Come on, come on!" She hissed as she dove faster. Nearing 900 feet, Thresher's ultraviolet vision took over and she could see Akula's form, maybe less than 100 feet below her. Thresher pushed harder, diving underneath Akula as she leveled out at 1200 feet. She caught the Soviet on her back and blew her ballast tanks, rising to the surface. Thresher flew up out of the water like a whale, coming back down with a magnificent splash. It caught the attention of another sub nearby. "Thresher?!" she questioned in disbelief. Thresher's eyes widened. "Nautilus." She breathed. The eldest nuclear sub nuzzled her. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" She growled. She noticed Akula. "Who's that?" She asked, her voice turning hard. "She helped me. Please she's hurt. She's hurt and it's my fault. I ran off but I went too far. I tried to escape by following her but she made that turn on me and we collided. I think she's got a concussion. Don't hurt her please, she helped me find my way back here." Thresher begged. Nautilus hesitated. "Nautilus please..." Thresher begged. "Okay, okay." She sighed. "Bring her in. I'll see what I can do." Thresher followed the older sub into Norfolk. She nuzzled the unconscious sub on her back. "You hold on Akula." She begged. "M'not going anywhere." Akula groaned weakly. "You're awake, that's it stay awake. Keep talking to me." Thresher begged. Akula whimpered. "Thresher, my head..." She moaned. "You've got a concussion most likely. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's my fault!" Thresher whimpered. "No Thresher, I collided with you remember. It was my fault." Akula murmured, her voice fading. "No, stay awake Akula. Come on, stay awake." Thresher begged. "Can't keep my eyes open. The light, it hurts." Akula moaned. "You have to keep them open. I know it hurts right now but we'll fix that. I'm taking you into Norfolk, you'll be alright just hold on." Thresher whimpered. She set Akula down at the dock, nudging her over on her side. Akula whimpered, her blue eyes flashing warily around her. "I won't let anyone hurt you." Thresher murmured. "Promise?" Akula asked. "I promise." Thresher replied and stood back as Nautilus came forward. "Someone contact Ivan, we need him down here." She looked at Thresher. "You missy are in a lot of trouble." She growled. "Yeah..." Thresher mumbled. "I'm not gonna do anything, that's entirely up to Ivan." Nautilus sighed. "In my opinion what you've already gone through is punishment enough." Thresher sighed. "Thank you Nautilus." She murmured. "Oh hush." Nautilus mumbled, embarrassed. She didn't always look it but she was a big softie, especially when it came to pups.

Nautilus leaned down and nudged the Soviet. "What's your name, red?" She asked. "Akula." came the faint reply. "Alright Akula, I'm gonna have a few scans run on your brain to see just what is wrong then we're gonna go about fixing it alright?" Nautilus asked. Akula nodded. "Why are you helping me?" She asked. "Why wouldn't I?" Nautilus replied. "You hate me." Akula said. "No I don't, I've never hated you Akula and I never will. Not in a million years." Nautilus' voice cracked. "Not my little shark, not ever." She whispered brokenly. Thresher watched, awestruck. Did they share what she thought they shared. Her suspicions were confirmed when Akula murmured "I've missed you mom." Nautilus nuzzled her. "And I've missed you." She replied.


	12. Chapter 11 Nautilus' Story

Chapter 11~ Nautilus' Story

As Akula was taken to surgery, Thresher watched Nautilus pace back and forth impatiently. "So you're her mother?" She asked. Nautilus paused. "Yes, but that was a long time ago." She sighed. "Well we've got time." Thresher said. Nautilus closed her eyes. "It was 1956." She began.

...

The young and newly commissioned submarine Nautilus was beginning the first ever voyage of a nuclear submarine. Sailing silently under the polar ice pack, she was looking forward to accomplishing what so many have failed to do. Completing a sucessful passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Her keen eyes relied on her infrared and ultraviolet vision to guide her through the water. Navigation became more and more useless the closer they got to the pole. Her compass was all screwed up but that didn't stop her.

Up ahead she could see a shape appearing, its orange and red heat signature a great contrast to the blues and blacks of the water surrounding it. It was another submarine, Nautilus was certain of that and by the sharp tang on her tongue she could tell it was a diesel sub. She gave a low growl of warning, knowing that only the Soviets would be this far North. The sub turned and grinned at her. "Well, well. USS Nautilus isn't it? I've been looking forward to meeting you." He said. Nautilus huffed. "If you have something to say, you may as well come out and say it. If not, then get out of my way!" She growled. "Oh, so cruel." He said, faking hurt. "I merely wished to set eyes on what the West is calling the reincarnation of Aphrodite herself." Nautilus blushed and hoped he didn't notice. She had no time for flirting and with a Soviet no less.

He approached and made a few circles around her. Nautilus kept track of him the whole time. He brushed up against her port side, his fins tickling her ribs. Nautilus stiffened. "What do you want?" She asked. "Come back here and meet me sometime." He purred. _"As if."_ Nautilus thought though she only gave silence as her answer. Engaging her engines she sailed off.

...

"I did indeed return. I felt stupid for doing so, he might not even be there but it turns out he was. I learned his name was Typhoon. He'd get his nuclear engines later. I found myself going back there more and more and it wasn't long before I realized that I was in love. Out of this union came Akula. She was an only child and I was very, very protective of her. Her heritage was kept a secret from the rest of the fleet but it was only a matter of time before the Soviets learned of her existence. Typhoon was forced by his superiors to tell the truth and the Union, believing that the child should follow in her father's path came to collect her. I was willing to fight tooth and missile for her and so was the rest of the fleet. But it wasn't long before I came to my senses. A fight would only result in castastrophe. It was the Cuban missile crises, tensions were higher than they'd ever been, and one blown fuse would be all it took to ignite the whole thing."

"So you gave her up, to keep the peace." Thresher whispered. Nautilus dipped her head. "It was either that or oblivion for all of us. I didn't have a choice." She sighed. "You made the right decision." Thresher said. "Did Typhoon, tell Akula the truth?" She asked. "Yes, he never kept anything from her. I owe him that much." Nautilus replied.

Just then a doctor appeared. Nautilus whipped around. "Well, how is she?!" She cried. "Relax, she'll be fine. She's asking for you." He replied. "She's awake?!" Nautilus was off in a flash. Thresher smiled. Perhaps now mother and daughter could reconcile.


	13. Chapter 12 It's Good to be Home

Chapter 12~ It's Good to be Home

Akula was released from the hospital a week later and she and Nautilus sailed into the main harbor side by side. Akula's Soviet flag had been lowered, an American one taking its place. Mother and daughter were so close their hulls brushed occasionally. Thresher smiled, the sight was sweet. She remembered she had her own family to get back to and sailing up to the dock she sank her teeth into it, yanking her now 130 foot body out of the water. Her planes worked like a seal's flippers and she flopped out of the base and into the city beyond.

She'd spent so much time on land that she knew as much about it as the humans did. Her whole life had been spent there and while she could move a lot more efficiently in the water, her heart lie with the comforts of a residential home. She stopped at all the crosswalks, waiting patiently as the lights changed. The people gave her strange looks but they didn't seem to mind her presence. They might've thought she was just some black seal that'd wondered off though she had to admit she was a strange looking seal. The dogs however took interest in her, sniffing her hull and tugging experimentally on her planes. Thresher took it all in stride. It was only natural they were curious. The submarine had spent enough time around the animals to understand basically what they were saying.

"Not from around here are you?" One asked. "No, I came from the base." Thresher replied. "I've never seen a dog like you before." He continued. "I'm not a dog, I'm a submarine!" She cried. "A submarine?!" He barked a laugh. "I've never seen one out of water before." "I spent most of my early years on land so I'm more used to it than others." She replied. He looked at her. "May I?" He asked. She nodded and he moved forward as much as his leash would allow, sniffing all around her hull. "You're a big one." He said. Thresher laughed. "I'm still only a teenager. I'll grow a lot more in the next year. Projections indicate I'll be at least 300 feet long." She replied. "300 feet, my word! You must need a lot of room for that power plant of yours." He said. "You can smell it?" She asked surprised. He nodded. "Nuclear engines give off a particular scent." She replied.

The light changed and Thresher walked with them for a while before the dog and his master left for home. "It was nice meeting you, um..." He shifted, embarrassed he'd never even asked the sub her name. "Thresher." She answered for him. "Riley." He replied. She dipped her head. "It was nice meeting you Riley." She said. "Likewise Thresher." He replied and left.

Thresher continued down the street for a while, stopping at a food stand that sold sushi. The scent of fish made her mouth water. Time around humans had made Thresher the expert in begging and she gave the man her best sad face. "Aren't you a cutie!" He said. "Here's a nice piece of salmon." He gave her a pound of freshly filleted raw fish. Thresher pounced on it and chowed it down eagerly. "Hungry weren't we." He laughed. She grinned and gave the man a friendly lick of thanks before continuing on.

She went a couple of blocks before a familiar black car drove by on the street beside her. It was Ivan and he saw the submarine the same time she saw him. At once he pulled over to the curb and got out. "Thresher?!" he exclaimed in surprise. The submarine looked up at him with wide green eyes. "Daddy!" She squealed happily, tackling him. Her weight knocked him over and she rested atop him, licking his face, her side planes gripping his shoulders and her rudder waggling like a dog's tail. Ivan wrapped his arms around her as best he could, for once not complaining about the slobber she covered him in. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She wailed. "No don't be. I'm just glad you're safe. You had everyone so worried..." he murmured. She nuzzled his neck affectionately. He stroked her nose in return. "You've grown." He noticed. She giggled. "Nautilus says I grow a foot every day!" She replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. How long are you now?" He asked. "150 feet." She replied proudly. "I'm expected to grow to be twice that length." "That sounds about right." He agreed. She licked his hand.

"I would bring you home but um, you won't fit in my car anymore." He said sheepishly. She laughed and climbed off him, allowing him to return to his feet. "Fortunately, I happened to have a trailer along. I was just returning from dropping off some supplies on the base. It's a wide load so it shouldn't be a problem for you." "Are you calling me fat?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Nah." He laughed, patting her nose. She climbed up onto the bed and Ivan got back in the car.

Along the way on both sides of the road, people stopped to stare at the black SUV and the trailer behind it from which a big rounded black head with two green eyes poked out, watching the signs and buildings go by. Thresher couldn't resist and waved to the people who waved back. Ivan, noticing this, called to her "Maybe you should run for mayor!" "Think I could win?" She asked. "You're clearly popular." He replied. She laughed, falling silent as she thought. "It's good to be home." She murmured at last. _"It is indeed."_ Ivan thought with a smile.


	14. Chapter 13 Back with the Family

Chapter 13~ Back With Family

Thresher returned to the water later that day in time to see Akula off. The Soviet was returning to her own waters but she'd be back. "Nautilus has convinced me to act as a spy for you." She said. "As a spy?" Thresher questioned, surprised by this. "Yes, I have lived my father's way long enough. It is time for me to start living my mother's." Akula answered. "So I'll see you again soon." Thresher murmured. "Yes my dear Thresher I suppose you will!" Akula laughed. "No getting into trouble while I'm gone, you got that?" Thresher smiled. "I'll be a good girl." She promised. Akula nuzzled her, and left. Thresher watched her until she dove then turned back into Norfolk.

Thought it'd been nearly a year since she'd last seen her, Thresher still remembered Bowfin's scent. It was impossible to forget. Her mother was at the nursery docks, having given birth to a second batch of pups a month earlier. She was resting quietly and smiling, Thresher gave her a gentle nudge. Bowfin stirred a bit then woke with a yawn. "Hmm, Thresher? Thresher!" She cried happily, moving faster than one would think for a ship her age. She tackled her daughter who was now nearly as big as she was. "Oh Thresher, I'd heard you'd gone to live at Ivan's but I didn't know when you'd be back." Thresher brushed her bow along her mother's side. "I'm here now mom. Here to stay." She replied.

Scorpion, who'd just been released from her own foster family saw her sister and squealing happily, charged in and pinned Thresher down in a group hug. Thresher laughed. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up!" She said. Scorpion licked her cheek. "I missed you!" She said. "And I missed you." Thresher purred, touching noses with her sister.

Bowfin's pups whined and wailed at the loss of their mother's warmth, forcing Bowfin to back off and quiet them down. She watched as Scorpion and Thresher played and talked on what'd they'd missed. "They've turned out alright." the old mother mused. "I wonder if you will be the same, Arleigh." Bowfin's eldest son squeaked in reply. He didn't have words yet but he seemed to understand. She laughed. "Yes, you will." She murmured.


	15. Chapter 14 Redhead with the Bodyguards

Chapter 14~ The Redhead with the Bodyguards

Thresher and Scorpion's squeals could be heard across the harbor as the sisters played and splashed about in the lagoon. They were getting to be over 200 feet in length. Thresher was the heavier of the two, her eagerness to eat human food most likely the cause. Her weight was becoming a real issue as it prevented her from getting around quickly on land. Her belly dragged on the ground more often than not and the effort of moving along the beach left her panting and breathless. So the navy put her on a strict diet, one that Thresher willingly followed. If it helped her to find her land fins again, she'd do anything. Her behavior too was unique. Most submarines her age would've been happy to stay in the water and more or less ignore humans, unless on a mission. Thresher however craved attention. She was a big black puppy compared to the rest. Even Scorpion marveled at her sister's behavior.

"How do you do that?" She asked Thresher one day after the submarine had coaxed a peppermint out of a passing dockworker. They spoke in their native tongue which sounded like grunts and growls to the workman nearby. As they became older, their jaw structures changed, preventing them from speaking any human languages.

"Just be nice, be cute. Humans are suckers for that sort of thing." Thresher replied as she rolled on her back, letting the sun rays soak her belly.

"No I mean, how can you like humans? I'd just rather take 'em or leave 'em. We don't need them around to do our jobs." Scorpion snorted. "They're just along for the ride."

"Or maybe they're there to keep us company." Thresher suggested.

"What?" Scorpion wondered.

"Think about it. We're gone from home for months at a time. Being by oneself can be kind of lonely." Thresher frowned.

"We're submarines. The apex predator of the seas. We eat Great White's for breakfast. We're supposed to be loners." Scorpion snorted.

"Company is nice though." Thresher said.

"Only you would think so." Scorpion rolled her eyes.

"Does that mean you don't like having me around?" Thresher asked pouting. The playful glint in her eyes told Scorpion she was teasing.

"Of course I like having you around Thresher it's just..." Scorpion broke off, realizing what Thresher was doing. "Oh come here you!" She growled.

Thresher squealed in fake fright and raced off in the opposite direction. Laughing, Scorpion took off after her. Both chased each other around to the far side of the harbor, weaving around the dockyard with experienced ease. Approaching the dock, Thresher spotted an entourage of yard workman, navy admirals, and men in black suits. She spotted Ivan among them, walking next to a red haired man in a black suit and tie.

With a happy squeal, she charged over, ignoring Scorpion's cry of "Thresher, get back here! Don't bother them!"

But Thresher wasn't listening. She was too excited to. Humans meant attention. Humans meant treats! She thrust her bow out of the water, splashing water as her rudder waggled like a dog's tail.

"Is this the submarine you were talking about, Admiral?" asked the red haired man.

Ivan nodded, looking a tiny bit embarrassed, nodded. "Thresher." He admonished his submarine. "Go and play, we're busy."

Thresher pouted, giving him the big eyes.

"A submarine that can pout?" asked one man.

"She can do more than that. I've heard she can beg." whispered back his companion.

Thresher giggled, rolling on her belly and wiggling cutely.

"Aww." more than one man cooed.

Sighing, Ivan knelt and gave her a pat. Thresher nudged him with her nose.

"You're spoiled, you know that right?" He asked.

She licked his face in reply, stern waggling again as the red haired man came forward.

"Ah, so you must be USS Thresher then?" He asked.

She nodded, rolling back to an even keel. She stretched her nose out to sniff him curiously. He smelled strongly of cologne. His clothes carried the scent of a stuffy building, freshly printed paper, and just a hint of sweat. Her nose twitched as she breathed in the smells of the man. Deciding he was friendly, she lowered her head and nudged his arm.

"Well aren't you friendly." He chuckled, raising a hand to stroke her face.

Thresher purred, tipping her head gently into the cup of his hand, careful not to lay too much weight on it. Her eyes half closed, the submarine gave a contented hum.

"It's unbelievable what you've done with this submarine, Admiral." the man addressed Ivan. "She's more like a pet than a war machine."

"Thresher knows her duties sir. If the time comes to fight, she'll fight." Ivan replied.

"I wasn't suggesting her behavior is a bad thing admiral." The man said with a slight frown. "Quite the opposite. What matters more than any technology or equipment we can give her is loyalty. Though sweet now I wouldn't doubt she'd become a force to be reckoned with should someone threaten you." With a final pat, the man stood up and led the way out, his entourage of men in black suits following him. He paused and turned back. "Almost forgot." He said and held out a hand to Thresher, in it was a gummy worm. "I hear you're fond of these things." He said. Eagerly, Thresher scooped it up, tongue licking his hand in thanks.

Thresher returned to Scorpion who was staring slack jawed at her. "What did you just do?"

"Charmed a human." Thresher chuckled, moving past her sister with a slight swagger.

"Charmed a human? Thresher that was the President of the United States!" Scorpion cried.

Thresher paused. "Really?" Her eyes brightened as her tongue swiped her jaws once. "I must be better at this than I thought. Next on the list I suppose is Kruschev."

"THRESHER!" Scorpion admonished.

"I'm serious!" Thresher growled. "What if I could just charm the man into giving up all his nuclear arms. Then we wouldn't need to fight."

"You'd kill us all. We wouldn't be useful." Scorpion said, shrinking back under the intensity of Thresher's gaze. She almost sounded, serious? Thresher was never serious!

"You're so selfish!" Thresher growled, her voice low and grave. A big change from the usual upbeat tone. "The extinction of our kind for the salvation of the world is a small price to pay. The navies of the world are meant to protect their home from their enemies. If there were no enemies, there'd be no reason for protection. We're all in the business of putting ourselves out of business, Scorpion. The sooner you realize that the better!"

With that, the Permit-class submarine stalked off with her head and tail rudder held high, leaving Scorpion to stare after her in shock.


	16. Chapter 15 Thresher's True Side

Chapter 15~ Thresher's True Side

As it turns out, President Kennedy's words proved to be strangely prophetic.

As Ivan was walking off base to his car one night after a day at work, he passed by a dark alleyway. There, a group of 5 thugs mauled him. Two took him by surprise from behind, slamming his face into the concrete. Ivan struggled in their iron grip earning several harsh punches to the gut for his efforts.

"He's a navy type." said one.

"Ooh, we'll have some fun with him." Chuckled another.

Ivan grunted as he tried to break free.

"A feisty one isn't he. I like that." chuckled a third voice. "You and me are going to have so much fun together."

Ivan felt anger bubble up within him. Feeling the two men's fingers digging into his shoulder blades, Ivan twisted his head to look at their leader. He was a tall man, at least 6 feet and had a heavy build to him. Ivan caught the glint of a bottle in his hand along with a green camo uniform.

 _"Army."_ He realized. These men were off duty and had one too many it sounded like.

"What's the matter navy boy? Can't speak through the concrete?" snickered one.

"A coward just like the rest of the brass. Brave until the going gets tough." laughed another.

They quieted as they heard a growling sound coming from the ally they'd just emerged from. "Shh, did you hear that?" whispered one.

"I hear nothing, you're imagining things, Bill." Snickered his companion.

Bill cowered as he heard it again. This time, the others looked up. A dark shape could be seen blocking much of the street.

"What the hell..."

That was all he managed to get out before a big black wall slammed into him. He shrieked as he was thrown to the pavement, the sound of his ribs cracking making Ivan shudder. Powerful jaws made short work of his body. Ivan savior, still well hidden in the shadows, attacked the 2 others that were standing nearby. Bill pulled out his pistol and fired a few rounds. Blood streaked the alley wall behind the figure and a snarl was heard as the pain registered. Nonetheless, Bill was snatched up and eaten, his companion thrown clear to the other wall where he fell lifeless to the ground with a cracked skull. The two men holding Ivan down got the message and ran. They didn't get far. A giant black fin reached out and around, pulling them against the hard metal body of its owner. Two blazing green eyes narrowed to meet them. Blood stained teeth were bared and hot breath tickled their throats. One bite and the two now headless bodies were thrown back into the alleyway from whence they came.

Ivan closed his eyes, fearing he'd be next. Until he felt a rogue tongue licking his back. A wet nose nudged him. Rising to his knees, Ivan gently pushed it away, hearing its owner whimper in concern. He slowly turned his head around.

"Thresher?!" He exclaimed in shock.

The big submarine licked him again, nudging her nose under his armpit to help him stand. "Thanks girl." He said.

He looked around him. "How did you get here? Did you follow me?"

Thresher nodded in reply.

He sighed. "You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have done this either. Five people, army men, dead."

Thresher tipped her head to one side, back teeth grinding together to make a series of sounds. It'd been a while but Ivan still recognized Morse Code when he heard it.

 _"I couldn't let you get hurt. I've been following you since I returned to base."_ She said.

He rubbed her nose. "I appreciate the gesture but this won't go unpunished, you know that."

 _"They were going to hurt you."_ She whimpered.

"I know that. But it's not worth you going to jail." He replied. His fingers brushed Thresher's left ear, feeling the wetness of blood. "You're hurt." He noticed.

 _"They fired a few rounds at me. Only two hit. The other got my starboard fin."_ She said.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Her gentle nuzzle was his reply. _"I'm taking you to the hospital."_ She said. _"You can call Caroline when we get there."_

"I'm fine!" Ivan growled though his statement was edited when he tried to take a step forward and hit the ground. Thresher caught him before his head hit the pavement.

 _"Hospital, now!"_ The hard look in her eyes garnered no argument.

Ivan reluctantly agreed.

...

The doctors at the hospital were insisting that Ivan be taken straight to a room to have his leg braced and slung. Ivan asked for a few minutes with his submarine. Thresher herself was in trouble. She was ordered right back to base and a truck was ordered to take her there. But the two still had a few minutes before it arrived.

"Thresher?" Ivan asked.

Thresher looked at him.

"Thank you."

His submarine's smile and gentle licking were a thousand times the better medicine than anything the doctors could give him.


	17. Chapter 16 Punishment

Chapter 16~ Punishment

Thresher's injuries turned out to be more serious than previously thought. The bullets that hit her fin and ear were lodged within her in a dangerous spot. Both had to be removed. Following a brutal 9 hour interrogation and the punishment of 150 lashes, she was taken to the medical docks to be examined for surgery. She was lashed down to the drydock, lines attached to all her fins and a muzzle/bridle on her head. There was even a bit in her mouth and the roller on it provided Thresher with a distraction. The submarine happily played with it, which resulted in a lot of foam building around her mouth.

"I can't do it now! Those wounds need a chance to heal." The doctor said as he cleaned the nasty gashes on her back from the whip.

The Cat-o-Nine was a painful weapon by human standards. Instead of metal balls on the end that would dig into human flesh, this cat had iron spikes on the end, designed to pierce a ship's hull. Submarine hulls were different than other ships. They had a protective layer of rubber above their metal layer. The only downside to this was the rubber was very, very sensitive. As a result, the cat just needed to be designed to strike through that, and not both layers. Unfortunately, the navy believed in the whole thing. And Thresher was feeling the sting of both layers of her hull pierced. Many went deep, down to the bone.

"Damn Foster and his punishments!" The doctor hissed.

Foster was the yard's boson more or less and was in charge of delivering punishments. He had a reputation for being ruthless with his ships, driving them hard and hurting them badly when they didn't perform. It was every vessel's desire to avoid his probing eye.

As the doctor applied antiseptic Thresher lost it. Squealing, she reared up in the drydock, straining her mooring lines and her head gear, the roller forgotten. Her wounds burned in cold fire, it was agony. She shrieked again, jerking hard against the lines. She went too far though and her sheer weight caused her to flip on her back, the lines wrapped tight around her and the more she struggled, the tighter they became. She was vaguely aware of cursing as the doctors swarmed around, trying to get her calm.

She felt several lines snap as they were cut and wailed as one struck her injured ear. Another wrapped tighter around her fin. _"It hurts!"_ She clacked with her teeth.

"Easy, easy girl. I know. I know it hurts. Just focus on me okay. We'll get you out." The doctor promised.

Thresher whimpered, feeling like her whole back was on fire. It took all her willpower not to pass out as they got a crane down and lifted her upright. She curled in on herself, her breaths coming in quick shallow gasps. The look in her eyes was like one of a cornered animal. Injured, frightened, and unsure of the help being offered.

"Trust me girl. I know the antiseptic hurts but it has to go on. Those wounds could easily become infected if I don't. Can you hold still this time?" The doctor asked and Thresher, after a moment's deliberation, nodded.

True to her word, Thresher didn't rear like she did last time. Though she tossed her head a bit as a bone deep wound was hastily sutured with the welding torch.

"Bed rest is what you need now, Thresher." The doctor murmured. A half sigh, half groan escaped the submarine as she settled in her cradle. "Good girl. You'll stay here the night so we can monitor you then, if all goes well, you'll be released in the morning. Now rest."

Thresher rumbled, eyes already closing. An IV drip containing morphine dulled the pain in her wounds enough for her to sleep. But it was a fitful, restless one.

...

In the morning, it was determined that Thresher needed another week in the drydock before being moved to the surgical arena. It was 3 days into this time that Lt. Foster came by.

"Hello sausage." He greeted her.

Thresher opened one eye, glanced at him, then ignored him. It was what Ivan had taught her to do regarding bullies. Just ignore them and they'll stop. This turned out to be the one of the worst things she could've done.

"Show some respect, bitch!" He hissed. "I'm the senior officer here. I am your master!" He slapped her bandaged fin. This time he got a response as Thresher squealed. Her green gaze fell on him and she bared her teeth, rising to take a somewhat defensive stance.

She squealed again, reeling backwards as she felt the cat strike her nose. She lowered her head with a tired groan, her bandaged fin grasping weakly to stem the flow of blood. Seeing he'd injured the submarine aroused Lt. Foster even more and moving closer he gave Thresher another lash across her side. She wailed, rolling on her back. The move exposed her soft underbelly. Lt. Foster wasted no time marring the smooth gray skin there and Thresher was quickly covered in blood. With chains tethering her to the dock, she was helpless to fight back. The sound of men approaching is what ended the pain.

"You say anything of this sausage, and I'll kill you." Lt. Foster growled and left in a hurry.

The doctors found Thresher on her back, wounds marring her belly. "She's the second sub to have this happen! It can't be a coincidence!" Said one.

"Thresher, what happened?" the doctor asked.

Whimpering, Thresher shook her head. If she told, she was dead. The doctor sighed, stroking her cheek as he avoided her nose injury. Usually, Thresher would purr but as it was, she gave a weak whimper, fins protectively covering her injured belly.

The doctor noticed this. "Let me look Thresher." He ordered.

Thresher wouldn't budge. He tried again, several times but Thresher was insistent. Sighing, he set down the bottle of antiseptic. "I trust you know how to use this." He said. He stroked the submarine's head gently. "I don't know who did this but if you won't tell me, I'll find out. I promise." A weak, shaky sigh was his answer.


	18. Chapter 17 The Unthinkable

Chapter 17~ The Unthinkable

Ivan heard about Thresher's suffering but he didn't dare believe it until he arrived at the drydock himself. Thresher was strapped down tight to the drydock walls, a muzzle around her bandaged nose. Whiplash scars marred her back and more covered her belly.

"Who did this?" He whispered, his voice hard with rising anger.

"Lt. Foster's in charge of the cat, sir." replied a doctor.

"Bring him in here." Ivan growled.

A few minutes later, Lt. Foster entered. As soon as he came within Thresher's line of sight the submarine went crazy in the dock, straining her mooring lines as she tried to reach out with her jaws, snapping at him. Workman broke out more lines as they tried to get her under control. Ivan turned his back on the submarine for the moment and addressed Foster, harshly.

"I understand the need for discipline but if I see you using the cat on my submarine again I will have you court marshaled for animal abuse and abuse of power! Am I clear?" Ivan growled.

Eyes narrowing as he stared down the admiral, Foster replied "Perfectly, sir." He left, more determined than ever to make Thresher suffer. _"He will pay for his insolence. What does he know of discipline?"_ He thought.

Turning back to Thresher, Ivan was shocked at his submarine's behavior. There was more going on here than he knew clearly. Judging from her reaction to Foster's presence, the man had clearly traumatized her somehow. Ivan had a feeling the wounds on her back and belly had something to do with it. Reaching down with a hand, he let Thresher sniff him. His submarine's hard green eyes softened and she pressed her muzzle to his palm, gentle as a kitten.

Ivan climbed down in the dock beside her. "What have they done to you?" He whispered, voice shaking slightly.

Thresher's muzzle buried itself in his side and Ivan's uniform was soon stained with bloody tears. _"All I did was help you."_ She whimpered. _"Why are they doing this? It hurts! It hurts so much!"_

Ivan sighed. "I know. I know." He murmured, his free hand reaching up to stroke her forehead. He was surprised when Thresher flinched at first, teeth becoming slightly bared. She forced herself to relax though and leaned into him.

"They've traumatized you." He said. "They want you to become mean. That's why they're doing what they are. Lt. Foster and his bunch. They believe a mean submarine is the only type of submarine. Don't let them win Thresher. If they come after you again, you fight back. But only them. Do not attack anyone unarmed."

Thresher nodded. _"I have to go for surgery soon. Will you be there?"_

"If you need me there, I will be there." He replied.

...

Thresher's surgery went well and as promised Ivan was there when she woke. However, the doctors had bad news for the pair. "The bullet completely destroyed her port ear drum. It would be a wonder if she could hear from that side again."

"And her fin?" Ivan asked.

"Functional, but there will be times that she may lose feeling to it at random. At best, I'd classify her status as disabled and commissioning is not recommended sir."

"Understood." Ivan sighed.

 _"What do we do?"_ Thresher whimpered to him.

"You have your final set of tests soon. Think you can sail by then?" Ivan asked.

 _"You heard the doctor though. I wouldn't pass. Not with a busted ear drum and a half useless fin."_ She huffed.

"I'd be breaking my own rules merely suggesting this but I know a way to help you pass." Ivan said.

Thresher's eyes widened. "You're not suggesting I cheat." She whispered.

"No, I'm suggesting I cheat for you." Ivan replied. "I've got access to all the tests we run around here, including yours. I can give you the files and you'll have plenty of time to study them."

It was an unthinkable thing, cheating on a test as important as this one. But if it was what kept Thresher from the scrappers, it's what Ivan would do.


	19. Interlude: Ivan's Memories

*scene opens up as Ivan drives slowly away from the base in his car*

 _I see your face in my mind as I drive away. Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way._

*Huge memorial for Thresher, former crew members pay their respects*

 _People are people and sometimes we change our minds. But it's killing me to see you go after all this time._

*Ivan's rise to Admiral's rank*

 _Music starts playing like a the end of a sad movie. It's the kind of ending you don't really wanna see. Cause its tragedy and it'll only bring you down. Now I don't know what to be without you around._

*Shows Ivan with his submarines*

 _And we know it's never simple never easy. Never a clean break, no one here to save me. You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand._

*Shows Thresher as a baby. Ivan's petting her.*

 _And I can't breathe without you but I have to. Breathe without you but I have to._

*Various images of Thresher's antic's at the pool with Ivan on her back. One of her breaching*

 _Never wanted this, never want to see you hurt. Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve._

*Thresher when she had appendicitis*

 _But people are people and sometimes it doesn't work out. Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fallout._

*Thresher and Akula meet*

 _And we know it's never simple, never easy. Never a clean break, no one here to save me. You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand. And I can't breathe, without you but I have to. And I can't breathe without you but I have to._

*Various shots of Thresher as a grown up and on her sea trials*

 _**Instrumental**_

*April 10, 1963*

 _It's two am feeling like I just lost a friend. I hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me._

*Thresher underwater, water starts pouring in as as the notes go up she begins to rise to the surface*

 _It's two am feeling like I just lost a friend. I hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me..._

*Thresher sinks and implodes, one last image of her is show with gleaming eyes. Taken just before she took that fateful dive*

 _And we know it's never simple, never easy. Never a clean break, no on here to save me. Oh!_

 _**Four beats.**_

*Four images are shown of Thresher, starting with the last one taken. Goes back in time to when she's a baby.*

 _"And I can't breathe without you but I have to. And I can't breathe without but I have to."_

*Some of Thresher's antics as a baby. The Friskies Incident and the Pool Incident among them*

*Song ends with Ivan pulling into his driveway and greeting his wife, embracing her as the two join in their grief*


	20. Chapter 18 Carnival Traffic

Chapter 18~ Carnival Traffic

Thresher's finals were set for that weekend. The submarine's wounds sustained from Foster's beatings had mostly healed. The yard bosun had been demoted a rank and sent out to sea on Scorpion. Thresher was concerned for her sister's well-being but she knew she could handle herself. If Foster put one foot out of line, she'd set him straight faster than he could say "submarine".

Thresher shifted at her dock. It'd been a while since she'd been on land and right now the smell of food from a local carnival was almost too much for the docked submarine to bear. Human food had always been her weakness and it was proving to be a powerful temptation. Too much for Thresher to handle. Hauling herself out the water, the submarine used her fins to propel her along the shore, nose pointed to the series of colorful tents set up. Submarines had a unique ability to shrink themselves down when they went on land, making it easier to move about. After all a 300 foot submarine would be quiet the mobile challenge. Thresher, though she could shrink further, chose the size of a medium sized compact vehicle. As she came to a hill, she was surprised at how difficult it was to climb it. Her belly sank into the ground, making it that much harder for her fins to drag it up.

"Thresher, you need more exercise." She panted.

Finally reaching the top, she picked up speed as she entered the main 3 lane road leading into town. One thing she hadn't lost was her ability to move very fast over flat ground. A glance at her speedometer told her she was going 30 mph. Up ahead was a school zone, lights flashing. Sighing, Thresher slowed accordingly. Wouldn't do to break traffic laws, even if she wasn't technically a land vehicle. She got around well enough.

Reaching the end of it, Thresher sped up, hitting 35 in a matter of seconds. Behind her, she could hear the sound of a car's revving engine. A horn sounded, startling her before the offender, a white pickup, raced by. The driver did something peculiar then, thrusting his hand out the open window and sticking one of his fingers up above the the others in a weird hand gesture before disappearing. Thresher filed that one away for future reference. She always enjoyed learning about her human masters. The things they did confused her at times, but that didn't stop her from documenting them. At the end of her fin were four little fingers and a small stub that may've been a thumb at one point. The fingers weren't more than a few inches in length though, comparatively small to her overall bulk. Ivan had told her they were likely all that was left of a land based ancestor that existed around 100 million years ago. Back when ships and submarines alike had reproductive capabilities of their own.

Up ahead of Thresher were the familiar multicolored tents. The submarine suppressed her excitement as her highly tuned nose took in the smells. It was nearly overpowering. Greasy fries, melted sugar, and most of all the mouthwatering aroma of cooking, sizzling meat. Thresher, deciding that a car sized sub was not ideal for this type of environment, shrunk herself down further. To about the size of a great dane. She loped in, following her nose.

Her sail practically a nonexistent stub, people probably thought she was a seal. If they bothered to look behind her though they would've seen the black blades of her prop. Thresher weaved her way expertly through the grounds, getting quite a few stares. Pausing to open her jaws and taste the air, Thresher detected meat on the move and coming straight for her. The culprit, a small human in a carrier. A grownup pushed behind it. What was it called, ah yes, now Thresher remembered. A baby stroller. The submarine didn't have it in her to steal from a kid but that didn't stop her from nudging the child with her nose. To strong little hands whacked down on her muzzle and small fingers entered her nostrils, tugging at them. Thresher squeaked in surprise, resisting the urge to pull away. She didn't want to upset the child. Her tameness earned a giggle out of the baby and Thresher licked his face a few times before being shooed off by its mother.

"What a grouch!" She grumbled as she flopped away.

She understood that the mother was only protecting her child but did she really have to use violence. A simple order would suffice. Thresher paused, a fin rubbing her backside. For a bare hand, the swat hurt more than she thought it would. Grimacing, the submarine re-orientated herself with her surroundings. She heard voices and out of the corner of her eye, saw the distinctive color of navy blue. If she was caught here, she'd be so dead. Frantically, Thresher looked for a place to hide. To the right of her, about 20 feet forward, was a large tent, a table full of hot dogs set out front. Thresher made a dive for that, vanishing under the table, hidden by the overlying cloth moments before the navy men walked past. Thresher listened carefully, waiting until they were gone. Just to be sure, she sat there for several more minutes before poking her head out.

The overwhelming smell of the hot dogs just above her is what first crossed her nose. Her mouth watering despite herself, Thresher twisted around, reaching up with a fin to grab one or two. She succeeded in grabbing one and down her gullet it went. Thresher licked her lips appreciatively. She loved fast food. As she reached up for another she was spotted.

A lady in line spotted her. "Aw, would you look at that little thief." She cooed.

Thresher squeaked and hid back under the table but her cover only lasted for a moment. The sheet was pulled back and in the next instant she was being pulled out by her props. Her rear fins slapped back to try and cover it while her fronts scrabbled at air.

The man holding her, the hot dog cook by the look of it, scowled and opened his mouth to speak.

"Aw she's adorable!" said a voice as people crowded around. "Is she yours?"

The man hesitated for a moment but at seeing all the people crowding around _his_ stand his eyes took on an evil glint. "Why, why yes she is. Bought her myself a few months back. Little thing's been quiet shy though. Hasn't liked to come out." Thresher squeaked her protest at this but as usual no one understood her.

She did not object however to being set down. Nor did she object to all the attention she got afterwards. She rolled about cutely, enjoying the pats and the offered gifts.

By day's end, Thresher was well fed and ready to return home. Only problem was, she couldn't. The hot dog man picked her up before she could get away and put her in a cage.

Closing the door, he lowered himself so his face was level with the bars. "Now listen here, submarine. I don't know how you got here but from now on you work for me. You make me money, I feed you. If not," He let the threat hang.

Thresher was loaded into the back of a large semi truck. She wailed and screamed, hoping someone would come to rescue her but no one ever did. In the darkness, Thresher could only lie in her cage and listen as each rattle and rock of the trailer took her farther and farther from home...


	21. Chapter 19 Subnapped!

Chapter 19~ Subnapped!

The first stop was Norfolk Virginia. Thresher felt it when the truck slowed down and a few minutes later, daylight flooded the trailer. Her eyes blinked as they adjusted to the light, iris glowing luminous in the half dark.

She felt her cage being lifted and squealed in surprise, not quite expecting that.

"Ah, still kicking in there are you?" It was the hot dog man.

Growling, Thresher took aim at him through the bars.

"Feisty one aren't ya?" He pulled his hand back, checking to ensure all his fingers were still intact. "Just remember our deal. Do your part."

He set her on the ground and after some wrestling and a few near misses, got a muzzle on her which he then yanked her out by after opening the door. Thresher's fins scrabbled for purchase on the pavement to no avail. A collar with a rudimentary tag was placed around her neck and a leash clipped onto it.

"Heal Sub." Hot dog man growled and reluctantly and with little choice, Thresher followed.

The familiar smell of the sea filled her with nostalgia and she whimpered, longing to reclaim her place as queen of its depths.

"Eager to get wet eh? Well if you're good we can always go swimming at a pool." He said.

Thresher shuddered, recalling the only time she ever spent in a human swimming pool. She'd vowed never to repeat it.

Her time at this festival was spent entertaining the numerous guests who'd showed up at the hot dog stand. With the promise of food if she did well, Thresher did her part and was fairly well compensated. A plate of various meats given to her at the end of the day.

2 weeks after she was first stolen Thresher began to feel ill. It was an odd feeling at first, barely noticeable. It began with stomach cramps that appeared on occasion but soon Thresher found herself throwing up at every opportunity. Anything she ate she just spit back up and the constant smell of food didn't help. She spent most of her days curled up under the table, trying to hide her dry heaves, fins plastered over her mouth.

The hot dog man didn't understand what was wrong and punished her severely.

"What's wrong with you eh?" He asked, swiping a hand across her back.

Thresher squealed, fins scrabbling as she tried to get away. For her attempt she got a boot to her keel. It was the first time she'd been kicked and it hurt a lot. Her cries turned to screams that didn't abate for some time. When they finally did she found herself being carried into her cage and encased in darkness.

Her stomach in knots, sleep was impossible for Thresher and she listened until the hot dog man's snores sounded across the small apartment. Her eyes fell on the little silver key that hung by the door. Little fins peaking out on either side of the cage, Thresher dragged herself stealthy across the carpet. Jaws parted in a pant and sweat glinting on her hull, Thresher used the last of her strength to knock the key down. She grabbed in her jaws and just lay there for a few minutes. The snoring, having briefly stopped, resumed again and swiftly, Thresher undid the lock and slithered out of the cage. It felt good to be on soft ground for once, free of the cage and any restraints. Well most of them anyway, the muzzle still existed around her mouth and her jaws ached from it.

Flopping across the floor, Thresher squeezed her bulk through the dog door and vanished into the night.

The sights and sounds of the big city were difficult to bear but Thresher was used to it by now. She focused her senses on the nearest body of water. She detected one a few miles to the south and began to flop her way there. The rain was coming down by now and the lights from buildings and cars made unusual halos as they reflected off the wet pavement.

After a mile, Thresher's stomach churned again. Feeling sicker than she ever had before, the submarine found a bush to puke in. Bile rose in her throat and some flowed into her lungs. Coughing up a storm, she collapsed on her belly, hacking up loads of phlegm. Once finished, she just lay there. Too exhausted to go anywhere else, she slipped into darkness.


	22. Chapter 20 Savior

Chapter 20~ Savior

Thresher woke in surroundings unfamiliar to her from the night before. First off, she was lying on a person's bed, a blanket resting over her. On the table beside her sat a glass of a white liquid. Thresher, leaning forward, sniffed it. Finding nothing poisonous about it other than a little stale scent she began to drink. She pulled back at the weird taste. It was creamy and reminded her a bit of her days as a shipling. But thirst soon overrided everything else and she was happily lapping it up when a woman entered the room.

"Awake at last I see." She said. "You've been asleep for over 17 hours, it's mid-afternoon now."

Thresher squeaked her surprise, hiding under the blanket again.

"No, don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. Come out please." The woman said.

Gathering her courage, Thresher peeked her head out.

"Your nametag said Sub and you look like a seal but you looked so awful that I couldn't possibly send you back to the circus. They must've treated you terribly."

Thresher squeaked back, head nodding the affirmative.

The woman leaned back. "Smart thing aren't you? My name's Emily."

Thresher stuck out a fin and Emily laughed as she took it. "A well mannered lady you are." She said, stroking Thresher's forehead. Thresher purred as she leaned into it.

"Think you can keep some salmon down?" Emily asked and Thresher nodded eagerly.

"Be right back." She said and left downstairs for the kitchen.

Now curious about her surroundings, Thresher wriggled out of the blanket entirely and leaped off the bed. Making her way to the top of the stairs she flopped her way down. Ahead of her was a bar counter with chairs set up behind it. Using her teeth, Thresher pulled one back before gathering her hind muscles together and springing up. She used her front fins to pull herself into a sitting position.

When the salmon was set in front of her, Thresher wasted no time digging in. She scarfed down the plate and was soon looking around for more.

"That's enough for now. You had quite the stomach bug." Emily said. "Give it some time."

Thresher nodded, then leaped down. She rubbed against Emily's legs, purring. She'd seen cats do this and had always wanted to try it out.

Emily laughed. "You are an unusual seal." She said, reaching down with a hand to stroke Thresher's head.

Purring, the submarine rolled on her belly and when Emily knelt, face within her reach, Thresher covered it with licks. Maybe she could stay with Emily for a while...


	23. Chapter 21 Housepet

Chapter 21~ Housepet

Emily was a kind woman and Thresher settled in swiftly. She followed her everywhere, the pair shared a bed and Emily commented more than once on Thresher's cuddling ability. The sub was a natural.

A few days after her arrival, Emily got up early. Thresher got up with her. She watched as Emily showered, dressed and ate breakfast. Thresher had her own bowl of food that consisted of fish leftovers and whatever other meats Emily could find for her in the fridge. That didn't stop her from begging the instant she smelled the mouthwatering aroma of something cooking on the stove. It wasn't meats but it smelled good nonetheless. She put on her best cute face.

Emily stared down at her. "No." She said, pointing to the plate. "My food."

Thresher whined, pawing at her with her fins. Emily glared. "No." She growled again a bit more harshly.

Her tone reminded Thresher of Foster and more recently hot dog man and she whimpered, retreating. Noticing this, Emily sighed and setting the plate down on the counter, knelt down.

"Come here Sub." She said.

Hesitantly, Thresher approached, nose burying itself in her arm. She purred as Emily stroked her.

"I don't mean to frighten you. But some things aren't good for you. And I need to eat too. Okay?"

Thresher nodded and licked her face. Emily laughed. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?" She asked and Thresher nodded, rudder waggling.

"I have to go to church soon but I'll tell you what. Be good and I'll bring home some new food for you to try alright?"

Thresher eagerly nodded, rudder wagging harder. "Be a good girl though." Emily told her and Thresher nodded.

When Emily had gone, Thresher busied herself with the duties of the average housepet. She discovered the best piece of furniture to lie on, how to get into the fridge, and what the best places to do her business were. She even practiced her skills at scaring the mailman. She wondered about the backyard currently, familiarizing herself with its wonders. So many smells it was a wonder her nose didn't explode. The grass felt soft and moist beneath her feet and in the far corner, her heart leaped with joy as she saw a pond. Eagerly, she flopped towards it and leaped in. She relished in the feel of the water on her hull. Rolling on her back, her fins rubbed her belly as she wriggled about happily.

She became aware of little nibbles on her hull and a glance down told her there were fish in the pond. Thresher bit back her instinct to eat them. They were likely decorations of Emily's. She'd seen these type of fish before. They were special to their owner and Thresher didn't want to hurt them. So she let them grow used to her. She was their natural apex predator, but she was a predator who wouldn't hurt them. Not this time.

The sound of a car pulling up finally drew Thresher out of the pond.

"Sub?!" A voice called from inside the house. It was Emily.

Thresher barked back and scrambled out of the pond. She shook herself off, wiping her fins on the mat before leaping through the dog door. Emily was in the living room.

"There you are? Did you have fun while I was gone?" She asked. Thresher nodded, nuzzling her leg in welcome.

"Good girl. Now, I'm going to have some people come over for a little while. Is that alright?" Again, Thresher nodded.

Thus began her routine life with Emily.


	24. Chapter 22 A Christmas Vistor

Chapter 22~ A Christmas Visitor

Months passed and life went on for Thresher and Emily. The warm summer had turned to a cold winter. Both rarely ventured outside. This caused Thresher some anxiety as she could no longer enjoy her daily walks. Instead it often caused trouble between her and Emily as her rowdiness caused some damage to various household items. Like now.

Thresher was enjoying herself as she leaped from couch to the chair, listening to Emily puff and pant after her. The game reminded her of her days at Ivan's and she was forced to swallow her nostalgia. Those days were long past. She was a house pet now and a loyal one at that. Her days in the military were nothing more than a long ago memory, fading with time.

One morning, Thresher woke to see something white covering the windowsill. It covered the ground too and more fell from the sky. Curious, she went outside. It felt cold on her fins and she stuck her tongue out, tasting the flakes as they fell. It tasted like water but it was, frozen. Behind her, Emily laughed.

"It's snow, Sub." She said. "Very common in these parts."

Thresher ventured further out in the yard, rolling about in it as her fins scrabbled. She enjoyed the stuff a lot. Recalling something she'd seen on the TV, the submarine gathered a bundle in her fin and chucked it at Emily.

The human gasped in surprise as it hit her hair. "Cheeky!" She said. "You know what that was?" She asked and Thresher shrugged. "A declaration, of a snowball war!"

With that the fight began. Snowballs flew everywhere and by the time it was done both submarine and human were sufficiently soaked in white snowy powder. They warmed up under a blanket on the couch with a bowl of soup. Thresher got an occasional spoonful from Emily.

"You wanna help me with something?" Emily asked.

Thresher squeaked curiously. "Oh just something, seasonal." Emily shrugged.

So they went out to find a Christmas tree. They saw many kinds but Thresher didn't like most. She could smell bugs in them and she knew Emily didn't like bugs. At last they came across a nice 12 foot tall Douglas Fir. Thresher squeaked excitedly.

"That one, you sure Sub?" Emily asked and Thresher bounced up and down in excitement. Emily laughed. "Okay, that one it is."

They strapped it to the roof of their car and drove home, then spent the rest of the day putting up decorations. The star on top was Thresher's job. Emily picked her up and the submarine stood up on her back fins. Emily gasped as she felt the little propeller blades dig into her palm. Not noticing, Thresher got the star up on the tree. She climbed back down only to find herself being set down rather harshly by Emily.

"What are you?" Emily asked and Thresher whimpered. What did she mean.

"I felt a prop. You're not a seal are you?" The human asked and Thresher shook her head sadly. She hadn't meant to lie but she had no way of telling Emily the truth either.

Emily sighed. "I'm calling the navy. They're likely looking for their missing submarine." She said.

On one hand, Thresher was elated at this news. She could go home. Her thoughts turned to her mother Bowfin, and her sister Scorpion. Both were likely worried sick about her. On the other she felt sad. She enjoyed her days with Emily. The human had treated her well and she hated to leave. It would be hard for both of them but deep down Thresher knew, it was for the best.


	25. Chapter 23 Goodbyes

Chapter 23~ Goodbyes

As soon as the navy office in nearby Norfolk got word that a submarine had been found they knew exactly who it was and who to call. After all, what other subs had mysteriously gone missing within the last year?

Within the hour a convoy of armored vehicles arrived at Emily's house. With a look out the window the human sighed and said "Well, so much for Christmas."

Thresher whimpered as she flopped up beside her. Emily knelt and picked her up. "Now listen here, Thresher is it?" Thresher nodded and she continued. "Now you listen here Thresher. Those men there, they're your people. You belong with them." Thresher could hear how Emily struggled to keep her voice level. "You're not a housepet, you're a submarine. You have a duty to this nation, and to me. Protect us. Go on now." She set Thresher down outside the door. "Go home."

Thresher whimpered and snuggled up against her legs. She felt Emily's fingers stroke her, along with something wet and salty. "Go home, Thresher." She ordered again.

Thresher nuzzled her one last time before flopping down the steps and to the waiting convoy. Emily followed and shared a few words with the commander as Thresher climbed into the backseat of a waiting car. She squealed happily when she saw Ivan was back there as well.

"Hey there, whoa!" He laughed as Thresher embraced him. His arms wrapped around the submarine, holding her tight to his body. Tears fell on Thresher's hull.

"My baby girl. Oh my baby girl." He whispered. He pulled back, holding her at arms length. "I'm so glad you're safe." Thresher licked him again before looking at the window. Emily stood there, hand pressed to the glass, behind her soldiers stood with guns armed, ready to shoot should she do anything but Thresher knew she wouldn't. The submarine met her hand with her fin, and the two's breath fogged up the glass.

"Goodbye, Sub..."

Then Emily was gone, disappearing along with the row of houses as the convoy left the neighborhood. Thresher whimpered, then settled down on Ivan's lap. The right thing had been done, she knew it. But why did it have to be so hard..


	26. Chapter 24 Home Again

Chapter 24~ Home Again

As the convoy entered the outskirts of town, Ivan ordered a change of course. Instead of heading back to the naval base as Thresher had assumed, the were heading into town, in the opposite direction. Thresher clicked a question.

"Oh, you'll see." Ivan chuckled. "A little surprise for you girl. No one should have to be alone on Christmas."

Thresher's rudder wagged excitedly. She loved surprises, well the good ones anyway. She squealed and bounced all over the backseat when she recognized the neighborhood in which they were in. It was Ivan's home they were going to. Thresher was going to spend Christmas with Ivan!

The submarine was still a bouncing ball of energy when she was let out at the end of the driveway. Seeing Caroline standing on the front porch, Thresher picked up the base. She judged her distance well and 10 feet from the human, leaped into her arms.

"Hello to you too." Caroline laughed as she recovered from Thresher's endless face licking.

The submarine was not sorry for her actions and buried her little muzzle in her chest, purring up a storm. Her rudder wagged a million miles an hour and she couldn't stop smiling. It was the best reunion ever!

Dinner, a nice salmon dish was brought out and Thresher kept herself from drooling by tipping her head back. A plate complete with utensils was set in front of her and recalling what she'd learned from Emily, Thresher unrolled the napkin and set it in her lap. She picked up her fork and knife in her stubby fingers, fumbling just a bit before getting a piece of the salmon on her plate as it was passed around. Setting her utensials down she took the plate from Avery and passed it to Ivan who thanked her.

Once the plates were served, Thresher was surprised no one started tucking in. Avery and Ivan held their hands closest to her out and curious, Thresher took them. Looking at Ivan, she squeaked curiously.

"Just bow your head and listen." He told her and Thresher did so.

"Today we have many things to be thankful for oh Lord. In a time where few have nearly as much as we, we are grateful for all this wonderful food. A wife who can cook." This earned a slight smile out of Caroline. "But most of all we are grateful for Thresher. We thank you Lord from the bottom of our hearts that she has been returned to us safely and we pray that she continues to be the strong, fine young submarine she's always been." Thresher felt both her fins being squeezed so she squeezed back gently.

Ivan finished the prayer with a simple "Amen" and with her fins free again, Thresher set about eating her dinner. Caroline had always been a fabulous cook. Thresher had had her Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes before. Maybe it was just the delight of being home again, or maybe it was just because she hadn't had her cooking in so long, either way Caroline's cooking that day was the best she'd had in a long, long time! And she couldn't claim a better since.

The weeks passed and Thresher, now a fully qualified submarine, settled back in her routine at the Submarine base in Groton, one thing still nagged at her. Despite their best efforts, the Navy didn't find the hot dog man who kidnapped her. But with the carnival coming around again, she had a good idea where to find him.

So, in the early morning, about a week before she was scheduled to be commissioned as a United States Submarine, she snuck out of her berth and up the same hill she'd gone up before. This time though she wasn't interested in food. It was revenge she was after and by Poseidon she was going to get it, whatever the cost.


	27. Chapter 25 Dogged, Navy Style!

Chapter 25~ The Hot Dog Man Gets Dogged, Navy Style!

Thresher flopped silently into the carnival. It had yet to open but already people were lined up. She opted to mingle with the crowd, using her small shrunken down size to hide effectively in plain sight! All the while her nose twitched as she smelled for her target. So far, no good. The fair was maddening. She was searching for hot dogs but every tent and station had some smell of hot dogs coming from it. She was going to need to come up with an alternative plan and fast!

A throng of people crowded the main walkway as the fair opened. Thresher weaved her way through the masses of moving feet, stifling squeals when her particularly vulnerable fins were stomped on. At last she made it out and taking a moment to get her bearings she instantly recognized where she was. Directly next to her was the table that a year earlier, she'd hid under to avoid detection by the navy. The table that held the distinctive aroma of a certain brand of hot dogs. A shadow fell over her and she was lifted off the ground, squealing.

"Hello again Sub. I've been looking for you!" It was hot dog man.

Thresher struggled as he talked, hissing death threats in her native tongue. Even if no one could understand, at least they might come check it out.

"You escaped me last time. But you won't again. No, not again! I should've been harsher with you."

He carried her inside the tent and in the corner, Thresher could see the cage. She struggled harder. No, she would not go in that again! Then she had an idea.

The man screamed as her rotating propeller blades dug into his flesh and he dropped her, holding his mangled fingers. Thresher hit the ground at speed, fins scrabbling for a moment as she regained her balance. Then she was off, shooting through the man's legs and out the tent, into the open.

Leaping up atop the hot dog table she tipped her head back and gave the longest, loudest roar she could muster. The nearest people covered their ears but anyone with any kind of maritime experience knew what that call was. It was the call of a submarine, not a seal!

A group of seamen and seaman apprentices heard the cry from a caramel apple tent a few blocks down.

"Hear that?" One asked.

"Yeah, that sounded like a submarine. But what would one be doing here?" Asked another.

"I don't know but we better find out." The first replied and they took off running, candy apples dropped on the street and forgotten.

They arrived in the middle of the most unusual fight they'd ever seen. A circle of people cheered on a man carrying a club and a shrunken down submarine who was nipping at anything she could reach, while dodging his well aimed blows.

At the sight of the navy men though, hot dog man ran. Thresher tried to stop him by leaping up and snatching at his fingers but she missed and grabbed the club instead. The poor submarine was thrown back several hundred feet before crashing into the table, dropping to the ground like a stone.

"Split up, you two find that man." The highest ranking enlisted man, a Petty Officer 3rd class, said to his buddies. With a swift exchange of "Aye, aye's" and salutes, two of the three enlisted men were off chasing hot dog man.

The Petty Officer approached Thresher. Thresher's head hurt, everything hurt. She'd collided with a submarine, been kidnapped, been attacked cruelly by humans and all those wounds flared in the moment she hit that table. She couldn't do anything more than lie there, trying to get her pain under control.

Her eyes flickered up as she saw the Petty Officer approach, his name tag read Rein. Concern filled his gaze as he knelt and his fingers stroked the back of her head, the concern deepened as he felt the wetness of blood. Thresher whimpered.

"Poor thing. What were you doing up here?" He asked.

Thresher clicked back an answer with her teeth, hoping the man understood Morse Code. _"That man at the stand, last here he kidnapped, well rather subnapped me. I managed to escape but so far the Navy hasn't been able to apprehend him."_

Rein nodded. "I see. Well, my two pals, Martin and Fardell are chasing after him now. They're fast. They'll catch him."

 _"But they're fast too. I have to help them."_ Thresher tried to find her keel, only to be pushed back down.

"No, you stay here. You took quite a hit to the back of the head. You're bleeding and could have a concussion." He said.

 _"I don't care. That can wait. That man has to be caught and he has to be caught today!"_ She heaved herself up again and this time Rein did not attempt to stop her. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. Submarines were notoriously stubborn and defiant when they wanted something. He would be only wasting time and breath now.

"Alright, where do we start?" He asked.

 _"Go and alert the base. Tell then we have a shipnapper on the loose. Dressed as a carnival hot dog vender. I'm going to see if I can catch the bastard."_

"Aye, ma'am."

Another exchange of salutes (with her fins, Thresher could actually salute), and the pair split up. Thresher flopped down the walkway to the grassy field just outside the group of tents. Her keen eyesight saw the hot dog man running for the woods. The two seaman, Martin and Fardell, were chasing and closing. She moved in to help but her path was blocked by a big burly man in an engineer's coveralls.

"Hello Thresher, miss me?" He sneared.

It was Foster. Thresher snarled, she didn't have time for this.

"I'm surprised you found your way back. I was counting on Marseille to take you so far away you wouldn't have a chance but I guess the only reliable one is yourself." He said.

Thresher's shock lasted only a heartbeat before she let out the most dangerous sounding snarl anyone had heard from her. Foster had set this whole thing up. He'd arranged with the hot dog man, Marseille, for her to be subnapped and taken out of the navy. She'd been beaten cruelly by this man and now this? No, Thresher was not going to put up with him for one moment longer.

As she prepared to attack, shouts could be heard. It was a battalion of marines, with Rein running alongside. Foster took off down the hill for the woods.

Thresher's big, lean muscular body became her biggest advantage then. Her fins reached out and grabbed the earth, pulling herself forward. Like a Thoroughbred on a turf course. Within seconds, she was at her top speed of 40 mph, slightly slower than at sea. But that didn't matter as she raced down the slope for the treeline, drawing level with and pulling ahead of Foster.

Dirt flew as she changed direction, heading for a predetermined point ahead of him, directly on his course. Thresher had to time this perfectly.

Launching herself 100 feet from her target was the largest jump Thresher had ever attempted. She had to make it to compensate for the 40mph speed she had going for her. That momentum worked in her favor as she executed a perfect side tackle that would make any star football player jealous! Her fins gripped Foster's sweating body as she hit the ground hard on her starboard side.

The blow was hard enough to knock the wind out of her but Thresher kept her grip on her enemy as they rolled the rest of the way down the hill. They came to a rest in the brush just inside the treeline and when Martin and Fardell raced in, hot dog man in ropes farther up the hill, they saw Thresher, grown to car size, and holding Foster down. Her fins gripped his arms, keeping them down and spread from his sides while her forward belly kept his torso and legs flat to the ground.

In one swift and likely painful motion, Thresher slapped the man's arms down to his sides, pinned them under her bulk and proceeded to give him the fin slapping of his life! Each punch was the counter to every slap, every kick, every crack of the whip this man had given her. Now she was returning the favor and then some!

She lifted his body and wrapped his arms and legs around a tree. Grabbing a vine she used it as a whip, delivering the old naval brand of punishment. 30 lashes before she stopped and scooped him up again, disappearing into the trees. Moments later, splashes and screams were heard as Thresher gave him a submarine's special brand of punishment.

Named Dunk and Toss, it was first put into practice in the 1920s and is exactly what its name implies. Several intense seconds of being held feet underwater before the rush of air fills your lungs as you're tossed perhaps a hundred feet in the air. Then you're caught in either a big black fin or if you're unlucky enough, in the submarine's jaws. Thresher though was not out to kill the man so she merely caught him in her fins.

The three enlisted men and a battalion of marines they'd called in could do nothing but stand on the shoreline and watch the proceedings. They all knew better than to interrupt a submarine when she was delivering verdict. It never ended well.

After 2 hours the punishment stopped and Foster, nearly unconscious and frozen from shock and hypothermia, was tossed onto shore, wrapped in a blanket, and taken into police custody.

Thresher climbed out of the water. She was too exhausted to drag herself more than a few feet before collapsing. She felt Rein's hands on her back. The man stiffened when he felt the blood still flowing behind her neck.

"Thresher stay awake." He ordered.

The submarine whimpered weakly. She was tired. Why couldn't she sleep?

"Listen to me Thresher." A new voice cut in. It was the Marine commander. "You need to stay awake. You've lost a lot of blood and are going into shock. If you fall asleep now, you'll die."

Thresher twitched her port fin weakly in answer and did her best to keep her eyes open and her senses alert. Everything was foggy though and it was incredibly difficult. On top of that her side began to ache. She'd hit it quite hard rolling down the hill and when the verdict came, she wasn't surprised she had 3 broken ribs and a shattered scapula.

She moaned as she was lifted into the back of a vehicle. Blankets covered her and a rudimentary set of bandages braced her side and covered the wound on her neck. Thresher huddled under the fleece and wool fabrics, her shivers fading as she warmed. She became more aware of a hand stroking her and her eyes flickered up to meet Rein's face.

"You're safe now, but we're taking you to the hospital just in case." He said.

Thresher rested her head on his lap, purrs beginning to fade.

"No Thresher, stay awake!" Rein growled.

But Thresher couldn't hear him. It'd been a long day for her and though it was barely noon, she felt as though she'd gone 36 hours without sleep. The darkness seemed warm and inviting and so Thresher fell right into it's welcoming maw.


	28. Chapter 28 The Hospital

Chapter 28~ The Hospital

When Thresher woke, the first thing she noticed was how white it was. The walls, the ceiling everything was white. Instead of the cold comforting feeling of water beneath her keel, Thresher felt a surprisingly soft mattress and rough but clean sheets rested over her back. Her highly tuned sense of smell worked to distinguish between the hundreds of various chemicals she could detect within the room. She became aware of something prickling her skin just above her port fin. She could hear the constant drip of the IV as it gave fluids to her vein. Her nose twitched as she recognized one familiar scent and she wasn't surprised when her eyes flickered over to her right to see Ivan watching her from his chair. She tried to stretch her nose out to reach him but a bolt of pain forced her back and she whimpered. Ivan looked up and immediately she felt his hand brush the back of her head. She gave a low purr.

"Don't try to move too much, my girl." He said. "That shoulder's gonna be soar for a while yet."

She nodded, grimacing as said shoulder made its protests known. Ivan noticed this. "Do you want some more morphine girl?"

Now that she was more awake, Thresher was aware of the pain her shoulder was giving her and she nodded again. It wasn't excruciating but it was bothersome. Ivan called for a doctor who came in and adjusted the settings on Thresher's IV drip. Thresher craned her head around to watch him. Smiling, the doctor dropped a hand off the machine to let her smell him. Deciding he was good, Thresher relaxed back on the bed. As the morphine entered her bloodstream she gave a soft sigh. The painful throb of her shoulder lessened and Thresher was able to shift and look at Ivan without it giving her any trouble.

"You gave us all quite the scare girl." He said.

Thresher whimpered an apology.

"Yes I know you're sorry." Ivan said. "But you need to be more careful. You're not a pup anymore, Thresh. You're an adult submarine who needs to have a better appreciation for her safety."

Thresher nodded. She understood. She stretched her nose out, big green eyes looking pleadingly up at him.

Ivan sighed. "I've spoiled you rotten you know that?" He asked as he began petting her. She squeaked the affirmative. Yes she did know but she really didn't care. She loved being spoiled.


	29. Chapter 29 Commissioning

A month after being released from the hospital, Thresher began her final set of trials before being commissioned. Her ear drum had healed up nicely to the surprise of the doctors and her injured fin was feeling good today. She doubted she'd have problems with it. The whistle let her know her captain was coming and the submarine straightened, the mooring lines straining as the slack was taken up. The men on her deck behind her sail saluted and Thresher snapped up a fin as well. Her new captain returned it and disappeared inside.

Thresher could feel his footsteps as he headed for her bridge. His easy going gait told her he was calm and relaxed though he betrayed a hint of excitement. She was, after all, a brand new submarine. The first of a new class. What man wouldn't be excited at the prospect of commanding her.

He halted at her farewater wheel that controlled her bow fins or planes. Thresher remained at attention as he spoke the words. "I, Commander Dean L. Axene United States Submarine Force hereby take command of USS Thresher, SSN-593 and shall faithfully serve at my post until I am relieved or killed in action."

It was Thresher's turn. She could already feel the strings of a connection forming and though a first timer, she followed her instincts. "I, USS Thresher, accept Commander Dean L. Axene as my Commanding Officer until the time in which he is relieved of his duties or seen no longer fit to command."

The warmth was somewhat unexpected and hesitantly, Thresher reached out over this new, fragile connection. The response was gentle. _"Good afternoon madam."_

Thresher giggled at Axene's courtesy. _"Please sir."_ She replied. _"Just Thresher."_

 _"Very well then "Thresher". You may be allowed to call me Dean."_ He said.

 _"Welcome aboard Dean."_

...

She cast off, turning her bow for the open sea. Her teardrop shaped bow made quick work of the water in front of her as the waves broke, splashing against her sides in a futile attempt to harm her. Thresher had spent most of her life on land and her reactor was still new to her. The surge of power, uranium rich ore flowing through her veins made her feel giddy and she giggled.

 _"Easy girl."_ Axene warned her.

 _"Sorry Dean."_ She snickered.

He leaned back with a smile, letting her enjoy herself for the time being. The testing grounds were coming up and Thresher threw herself into them with vigor. Ivan's cheat sheets had helped her tremendously and she knew exactly what needed to be done before she was asked. Such a thing was contributed to her connection with Axene. No one would ever suspect that the submarine had been actively training for this very course on this very course for weeks in advance. She knew every hard turn, every underwater obstacle from garbage to submerged markers. Every flag, every pile, every paint missile trap she knew by heart.

By the time she excited not a single scratch or paint splatter marred her hull. She'd dodged them all. She laughed, a breezy but breathless sound if her heaving sides were anything to go by.

Axene was grinning from ear to ear as he popped open the hatch. "Thresher," He said. "You are a true pleasure to command. That was the best run I've ever seen."

Still panting, Thresher replied "Thank you sir."

He guided her back to her dock where Ivan was waiting. "How'd she do?" He asked.

"Perfect sir." Axene replied as he jumped onto the dock. "All I had to do was think a command and she followed it exactly. Sometimes I didn't need to think the whole thing before she responded. She's a smart one, that's for sure."

"And she's yours." Ivan said.

"Sir?" Axene couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Thresher also chirped a question.

"I just got word from SecNav, you're to be her first commanding officer after her commissioning." Ivan said.

"Thank you sir." Axene grinned.

 _"Does this mean I won't see you anymore?"_ Thresher clicked.

"Ah my dear girl. You'll still see me around just not as much. I've got other subs to care for too you know." Ivan said as he knelt down.

Thresher nudged him with her bow and Axene couldn't help but smile at the bond these two shared. Ivan scratched behind her ears. An exchange of salutes between him and Axene and the Admiral was gone. Back to his job as Commander of Portsmouth Navy Shipyard's submarines.

Thresher rolled against the dock with a big yawn. The submarine was tired understandably. That course never got any easier no matter how many times she ran it. Axene chuckled and rubbed her belly. "You rest." He said. "And I'll bring by dinner later okay?"

She purred a yes and he left her to sleep.

...

JULY 9, 1961

Thresher stood tall and proud. Flags lined her from bow to stern and she wore an American flag over her bow as she stood ready to receive her commission. Bowfin and Scorpion were nearby, the latter having been commissioned a year earlier. Bowfin had tears in her eyes and Scorpion was beaming, happy for her sister.

USS Nautilus commanded the proceedings. To her right stood Skipjack and to her left stood her daughter Akula. The Soviet spy came forward now as Nautilus stepped back. "Thresher, come forward." She ordered.

The class pathfinder did so, her rudder wiggling nervously. But Akula smiled at her as she said "Thresher, do you swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. To faithfully follow the orders of those appointed over you and to carry them out to the best of your abilities. Do you swear to do this even at the cost of your life?"

Thresher's voice shook slightly as she replied "I do."

"Then I hereby address you as USS Thresher, SSN-593 of the United States Submarine Fleet." Thresher moved forward and touched noses with Akula, a purr escaping her.

Akula's eyes met hers. "Welcome to the fleet, my sister." She whispered.

Thresher licked her cheek respectfully before stepping back. The fleet erupted in cheers. Bowfin and Scorpion embraced her as the rest of the submarines crowded around. Nautilus and Akula hung back for now, letting the others get their chance. They could come forward at any time. Thresher was a bit overwhelmed by all the attention she was getting but she took it in stride. She was just so adaptable.

Briefly she looked over at Nautilus to see the old submarine smiling at her with Akula lovingly pressed to her mother's side. Smiling at the sweet sight, Thresher turned her attention back to the party going on around her. It was naval tradition to celebrate a commission and though they were renowned for silence beneath the waves, submarines were the exact opposite above it. They were by far the best partiers in the navy! The drinks flowed and the ships became more and more stoned with each round. Thresher too took part in it. She was happy and the buzz only contributed to her happiness. Songs were song, glasses were raised. Thresher couldn't have asked for anything better.


	30. Chapter 30 Bonded

Chapter 30~ Bonded

Once the initial ceremonies were through, Thresher was content to remain in her berth for the night. She had a bottle of whiskey and an extra glass for anyone who wanted to come by and share. So far those who had come only stayed long enough to offer their congratulations and then continued on. The fleet had a lot of work to do. "If you trade that for vodka then I might consider joining." said a voice and Thresher turned to face Akula. The Soviet sub had her colors flying though they had earned her more than a few dirty looks. "Where's your mother?" Thresher asked. Nautilus hadn't allowed Akula to roam unchaperoned, accompanying her daughter everywhere. The fleet quickly learned to restrict their spite to hateful glares and nothing more, especially after that first incident a year ago. Thresher was pretty sure Skipjack was still in drydock being patched up. Akula shrugged. "She was busy snapping at Scorpion the last I looked so rather than watch that, I decided to come over here." She said. Thresher stifled a shudder. "I hope for Scorpion's sake she hadn't said anything too foul." She said. "The last I looked, Scorpion was holding her jaw, Jack was biting at Nautilus sail and the situation was deteriorating from there." Akula replied and Thresher groaned, torn between feeling embarrassed and taking pity on her sisters. "Please, take a berth." Thresher offered as she dug through her cabnit. She knew she had a bottle of vodka somewhere. Finding it, she happily put the cork back on the whiskey and put the vodka in its place, pouring some into each glass. "Isn't that the bottle I gave you?" Akula asked. "Probably. I don't get vodka from anywhere else." Thresher replied. "So let's share." "Cheers." Their glasses clinked.

Thresher took a sip, hiding her surprise at the strong flavor before setting her glass down. "Since you're flying your colors I can only assume you're planning on going home soon." She said. "It's certainly looking like that's a possibility." Akula replied. "I can only stay over here for so long before someone notices my absence." "Aye and the last thing we need is the Russian Navy searching for a "missing sub" just off our coast." Thresher said. "Eh, from what I've witnessed so far just sic my mother on them and they'll leave you alone." Akula said and both laughed. "Seriously though. When are you heading home?" Thresher asked. "Honestly, tomorrow morning." Akula replied. "So soon?" Thresher bit back a whimper. "Oh I'll be back soon no doubt. My patrols always take me close to New England. It isn't hard to deviate from them." Akula replied. "You're so cute when you worry." She poked Thresher's nose. Thresher pulled back, rubbing it a few times while Akula just laughed. "You keep that up and I'm gonna have to find some way to shut you up." Thresher growled. It was meant as a threat but Akula apparently saw it another way for she grinned, a mischievous light sparkling in her eyes. "Now Thresher, let's not be hasty here." She purred. "What is there to be hasty about?" Thresher grumbled. "You'd only be trading one noise for another. And I can be pretty loud with that sort of thing. You don't want my mother to barge in on us do you?" Akula asked. "What sort of..." Then she understood. "AKULA!" She cried and the Soviet laughed. "Relax, I'm just messing with you." Thresher had a feeling she wasn't though and she wondered just what would happen if she pushed a little...

Leaning forward, the sub nipped Akula on the nose. The Soviet squealed and pulled back. "What was that for." She asked. "For being a prude." Thresher replied. "Doesn't mean you have to bite me." Akula whined. "Do you want me to do more?" Thresher asked and Akula immediately perked up. "Can you, really?" She asked, her eyes brightening. Thresher left her berth and moved around beside her. "Oh I can." She purred, rubbing their hulls together. Akula purred and twisted her head around, meeting Thresher in a kiss. The two fought for dominance, their tongues their weapons of choice. And it was Thresher who conceded to Akula's experience. She began to slip under the Soviet, her ballast carefully controlled. Akula nipped her neck, chuckling at the soft squeak Thresher made. She was adorable. "Blow your ballast sweetie." She murmured. "Let's do this in private." Thresher wordlessly obeyed, sinking to the bottom of the harbor, the surface 50 feet above her. Akula came to rest atop her, adjusting her position carefully. She rubbed their slits together, feeling Thresher's swell with desire, hungry for her. Once the American was sufficiently aroused, Akula began to hump her. Slowly at first but her motions became more frequent, the rhythm intensifying. Thresher, being a first timer to this, was quick to orgasm. Much more so than she would be later on. Panting, she quivered as Akula gently brushed her fins against her gill slits. Her eyelids flickered. "Sleepy, darling?" Akula asked. "Mm hmm." Thresher mumbled and Akula smiled, gently rolling off her. Thresher snuggled to Akula as the Soviet settled beside her mate. _"Rest now."_ "Yes 'em." Thresher mumbled. "You heard me?" Akula asked and Thresher nodded. Akula smiled. "You are mine now Thresher. And I am yours. We are bonded you and I and nothing will ever break that bond." Thresher's mind hummed in happiness as she cuddled to her and Akula used that as a lullaby as it lulled her to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31 Breeding

Chapter 31~ 'Tis the Season

It'd been a few weeks since Akula left and Thresher was settling into her new routine nicely. She was currently taking a brief reprive, napping in the noonday sun but she perked up when she heard people approaching. Her spirits soared even higher when she saw one of them was Ivan. "Heya girl." Ivan said as she reached out to sniff him, rudder waggling. She nudged him with her snout in greeting. "Yeah it's good to see you too." He said and she licked his face. "Ack, Thresher!" He admonished though the sub merely barked a laugh. "This fine gentleman here has come a long way from Virginia to speak to you. Will you be a good girl and listen?" He asked and she nodded, straightening as a tall thin man in civilian clothes came forward. "Hello Thresher, my name is Doctor Barrett." Thresher barked a greeting, licking his outstretched hand and snatching up the gummy worm. If he had gummy worms then he had to be good. "I'm part of an organization called SubPeace do you know what that is?" He asked and she shook her head. "Well it's the reason why you're here." He said and Thresher offered a questioning chirp. "SubPeace was founded in 1897 following experiments done with your kind by John Holland. I trust you know who he was." Barrett said and Thresher nodded. Yes she knew who John Holland was. The man had pioneered the first naval submarines. "Well outside of the navy, very few wild submarines still exist, their numbers have dropped due to overhunting in the 17 and 18 hundreds a lot like whaling and sealing." He explained. She gave a sad sigh. It was unfortunate for a species as kind as humans to commit such crimes against ocean species but they were learning and a majority had always been kind to her. Thresher would always give them the benefit of the doubt for that. She asked for him to continue.

"Holland and a few others within and outside the navy wanted to see submarines enter naval service but also see their numbers come back in the wild. So a program was established to ensure this could be done. A few male and female wild submarines were captured in the Pacific since wild submarines are now extinct in the Atlantic and bred to one another. This breeding program produced large numbers of males and females. The females are the ones that serve in the navy while the males along with a certain number of females are released into the wild. It's not a perfect program but it serves its purpose." Thresher clicked with her back teeth, asking what all this had to do with her. Barrett looked to Ivan who translated. "You, Thresher, have been selected to take part in this breeding program." Barrett said. Thresher was surprised. Her, breed? She was only three but her instincts, heightened by her recent activities with Akula, said she was ready to have pups. She looked to Ivan, a little worried about how this would be done. Would her chosen male be kind. Would he hurt her? Ivan patted her snout. "Don't you worry Thresher. We have every safety precaution in place to ensure you and the male won't be harmed during the mating process." Barrett assured. Thresher pressed her muzzle to Ivan. "I'll be there." He promised. "When am I not?" He asked and Thresher barked a laugh. That was true, Ivan was always close by no matter where Thresher went.

Thresher wouldn't deny she felt some apprehension as she entered the mating ring. The water was cool beneath her keel but not biting cold like the arctic. She looked around her, searching for the male but saw nothing. Barrett had told her he would come when he was ready. In the meantime all Thresher could do was wait. She busied herself by exploring her new environment. The enclosure wasn't all that extensive but goodly sized enough for what needed to be done. Settling on a small beach, she stretched out in the sun, always enjoying the feel of warm sand beneath her keel. Feeling like someone was watching her, she raised her head and there, just offshore was a snout poking out of the water. When Thresher turned towards it, it vanished and the sub lie back down. She felt a nose against her propeller and jumped, whirling around. Halfway out of the water was another submarine, unmistakably male even though Thresher had never seen another male before. He was slightly smaller than her in length though carried a lot more muscle on his frame. His silver muzzle showed his age. Briefly Thresher wondered why she, a young thing, was paired with an older male before she remembered what Barrett told her. Males of her kind became more docile with age and her instincts confirmed this. It was better for her first time as a brooder to not have to deal with the aggressive antics of a younger male. His fins were longer, his sail was stouter but as his keel plates pulled back, all of Thresher's doubts went out the window. She eyed his meat, the first she'd ever seen. It was large, tapered with a stout tip. She gave a purr of approval. The male, his sail identifying him merely as B7, brushed his hull to hers. He made strange cooing sounds which sounded soothing and appealing to Thresher. He began to move off and Thresher followed him back into the water.

B7 was equally curious about this female. He'd seen many in his day, oftentimes more than a dozen per season. Each was intriguing but there was something unique about this one. She too was marked, her sail adorned with the strange writing the landwalkers had adopted to display on them. B7 never really had an opinion on them. Take 'em or leave 'em as far as he was concerned. At least they treated him well, better than the Pacific had. But the female must've had a different take for she reeked of the landwalkers. The scent was nearly overpowering with one in particular dominating. Could it belong to her Handler? Did she have Handlers too? She also carried just a hint of an unfamiliar sea on her beneath it. She must've come a long way to mate with him and B7 considered himself flattered. She was a bit nervous, clearly new to breeding which is why the landwalkers likely gave her to him. He often got the newcomers, more so now since he was older. He wouldn't deny there was some sense in that as he recalled his aggressive days where he'd beat a female into submission before mating her. That just wasn't the way to go about it. A new scent carried on the water. Fear. She was afraid. He gave the coo again, assuring her she would be fine. She chirped brightly in reply. B7 shook his head. Her accent was thick. Did she not know the language of their fore bearers or did the sea which she came from have a different dialect? She answered him clearly this time. "I have not much need of our ancient tongue in my home." She said. "My dear that is an abhorrent crime. I insist you use it more often." He said. "If you wish it, so it shall be." She replied, bowing her head submissively. Now that just wouldn't do. She was a female. She should be taking the lead. He was subservient to her. He gave her a stern bark to tell her so and she straightened up at once. "You are in the lead here." He said. "You are the female. I do what you command. So what do you command." "Well I, um." She stammered. "Speak up girl." He ordered and she jumped again. He sighed. She was too jittery to be a potential mate but he narrowed it down to her youth. She had no experience with males clearly. B7 could smell not a single one on her. She needed work but fortunately patience was a virtue he did have. so patiently he waited for her reply. "I want you to mate me." She said. "You don't sound so sure." He said. "Well, it's what Ivan wants." She tried. "I don't care what the landwalkers want. Is it what you want?" He asked. She shifted, thinking. "I-I don't know. I guess so." She replied. "Don't guess." He growled. In a gentler voice he added "Take your time darling."

Thresher considered it for a moment. Did she want a mate? Not really. She was happy with her life as it was and she had Akula. But did she want to mate. Her instincts were driving her to say yes. Whether she wanted to or not, she _needed_ to mate. Her very genes were screaming at her to do so and Thresher could only ignore them for so long. "I do, want to mate you." She replied. "Very well, then." He said. "Do you want me to tell you how I'm going to do it?" He asked and she shook her head. "No, do what you would normally do. I will trust you." She replied.

He went right to work, brushing his sail against hers. He circled around her stern, his nose dipping underwater as he nipped at her propeller. Yelping in surprise and then blushing hard, Thresher held still for him as he played with the blades. "You are of a stealth mold." He said and she nodded. "Aye, top of the fleet." She replied. "My congratulations. There is no greater gift to our kind than stealth." She dipped her head shyly, giggling as he licked the back tips. "Tickles." She said and he chuckled. She jumped when the nip came. Grunting, he gave it again and the second time Thresher got the message, rolling on her back and allowing him to mount her. Her fins gripped his shoulders, feeling the muscle beneath his thick hide tense and relax as he thrusted. Thresher wriggled a bit as she struggled to widen enough for him. He gave three hard pounds in the end, spraying his seed deep into her womb. Thresher herself came and came hard. This was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Panting, he retracted almost immediately and rolled off her. Thresher lie there for a few moments, still in the afterglow before righting herself. She saw he was leaving. "Don't go!" She called and he paused. "Your landwalker, the one call Ivan, is waiting for you darling." He replied. "Your place is with them." "But you could come with me." She whimpered. "You know as well as I do that is impossible. I cannot join your Navy. My place is here, to breed with females and to rebuild our race." He said. "How do you know so much?" She asked. "You thought I was some kind of oceanic beast, with only instinct to drive me?" He asked. "Our kind hasn't survived for 500 million years on instinct alone. To live that one, one must be intelligent. I cannot speak the language of the upwalkers but I can understand them. They have been kind to me, treat me well. Just as they will you. You belong with them, that is your destiny. Fulfill it and help rebuild our race with your pups. Teach them the ways of our fore bearers as you yourself were once taught." He ordered. She dipped her head. "I shall." She replied and turned back for the beach. Ivan was waiting for her. And she had a family to raise.


	32. Chapter 32 The Good Life

Chapter 32~ The Good Life

"Thresher can you please stop? You're getting paint in my food!" Scorpion complained. Thresher paused in her preening. "Whoops, sorry Scorpion." She said and the Skipjack-class sighed. In the weeks following her breeding session, Thresher had become more and more irritable. She looked at humans with more annoyance than happiness and had taken to a rather strict regiment of cleaning. Scorpion had no doubts as to why and she had a feeling that Thresher knew too though she wouldn't say it unless her sister did. "Preening yourself isn't going to help things." Scorpion sighed. "I'll be the judge of that." Thresher replied and Scorpion sighed again.

It was no surprise to her when orders eventually came in the fall for Thresher to sail to San Juan. The warmth of the tropics was meant to ease the discomfort of her pregnancy as much as possible. The cold winters of Maine were no place for a pregnant submarine. Cavalla, an old diesel submarine accompanied her. The Gato-class had served in World War 2 and had earned a Presidential Unit Citation on her maiden voyage, on which she sunk the Japanese carrier Sho'kaku. Thresher respected her greatly but there was another reason besides her war record that Cavalla was coming along. The sub was also a trained and certified midwife. When Thresher went into labor, she could offer her assistance. The two subs traveled on the surface and Cavalla kept the pace slow at 9 knots, not that she could travel that much faster anyways. But it was done mostly for Thresher's sake. The nuclear submarine was 2/3 the way through her 10 month pregnancy and she had developed quite the belly. There was clearly more than one pup. In fact ultrasounds showed that there were three though Thresher had asked for the genders to be kept a secret. The extra weight meant that Thresher had to work harder to keep up and occasionally Cavalla would slow down or stop to allow her a rest.

The pair sailed into San Juan harbor a month after they left Portsmouth, a journey that would've only taken a week at most. Two weeks for Cavalla but Thresher's pregnancy meant they had to put in at night and sometimes the sub's morning sickness meant they couldn't get underway until the afternoon. But they were here now and Cavalla gladly escorted Thresher to her berth. The pair had been going all day for a final push since they left Miami and Thresher was exhausted. She went right to sleep. Cavalla worked out her muscles as she slept, ensuring she wouldn't be too sore when she woke.

When Thresher came around the next morning, Cavalla had breakfast going. "Mmm, smells good." Thresher said as she yawned. "Do you want some coffee?" Cavalla asked. "Please." Thresher replied. "No cream, two sugars right?" Cavalla asked as she came out with a steaming cup and saucer. The saucer had a few pills on it and Thresher scowled. "Don't be like that. These will help with your morning sickness and ensure your pups are born big and healthy. You want that don't you?" Cavalla asked and Thresher huffed, taking the cup and mumbling a thank you. Cavalla just shook off the younger sub's attitude. She too had been in Thresher's place many times and knew what it was like. Thresher just downed the pills and sipped her coffee in silence, looking up only when Cavalla returned with a hot plate of eggs, bacon, and french toast. A calorie filled diet for sure and one that wouldn't produce any pellets. Thresher held out her fins for it and Cavalla gave it to her. "Thank you." She said and the older sub nodded. "Enjoy Thresher." She replied. Once Thresher was done, Cavalla had her do her exercises. They were meant to keep her muscles in shape while not putting too much strain on her pups. The added flexibility would also help when it came time for Thresher to give birth.

As expected, Thresher began her brooding cycle. She remained in her berth, only going out to use the restroom. She was also prone to having unexplainable and random bouts of pain. Cavalla rarely left her in these times. She suspect it was from the pups fighting for dominance. While they wouldn't cannibalize themselves in the womb like sharks did, they would squabble which was often painful for the mother. But Cavalla couldn't be sure. She just hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come.

November 2, 1961 dawned bright and early as it always did. Thresher was awake as soon as the sun filtered through the trees to hit her face. "Mmm..." She yawned, straightening up. In the berth next to her, Cavalla was just getting up and around. "How does fresh cooked ham sound to you for breakfast?" She asked. "Sounds delightful." Thresher replied. "I'll get it going right away then. There's fresh coffee in the pot if you want some." Thresher nodded and went to making a cup from the pot on the dock. Placing two sugar cubes in it she gave it a quick stir, waiting until the white cubes had melted before she sipped it. Cavalla heard her spit take and sighed. "Thresher, how many times must I tell you not to chug the coffee when its hot. One of these day's you're gonna choke... Thresher? You are you alright?" She asked, seeing the sub had broken the coffee mug and was currently clutching her side. "Is it another pain?" Cavalla asked. "No, this is different." Thresher panted, struggling to get the words out. "Cavalla, Cavalla I think it's time."


	33. Chapter 33 Labor

Chapter 33~ Labor

"No, it can't be. It's too early." Cavalla said. Thresher wasn't scheduled to go into labor until the 19th but apparently these pups weren't going to wait for anybody. "So sue me!" Thresher groaned, head arching back as a contraction seized her."Okay, okay take it easy." Cavalla said as she helped Thresher lie on her side, bow resting on the dock, clear of the water. "Now remember what I told you. Try to breathe normal. Relax, don't panic." Thresher did as she was told, breathing deeply as Cavalla got things ready for the pups' arrival.

Night came 12 hours later and still there was no sign of the pups. To make matters worse, Thresher had developed a fever. Cavalla was doing everything she could to break it. It was dangerous for both mother and pups in this fragile time. Beside her Thresher stirred from her pitiful nap. Cavalla set down the cold cloth she'd been using to press on her forehead with and instead picked up a cup of herbal tea. Thresher eagerly took it as Cavalla propped her head up. The sub coughed, not expecting the sharp tang. "It's a special kind of herbal tea. It'll help with the pain." Cavalla said and gently coaxed more liquid down Thresher's throat. Thresher drained every last drop before Cavalla gently set her back down again, dabbing her mouth clean with another cloth before resuming her action with the wet one. Thresher sighed. "If I had known I'd have to go through this, I wouldn't have agreed to be bred." She said. "It's different for everyone and no two labors are the same." Cavalla said. "Could be this is just a one time deal." "Better be because I ain't breeding again if this is how it's supposed to be for me." Thresher said with a groan. Her teeth clenched and her swollen flanks spasmed briefly before she relaxed again. "Why come now when they're not ready to come?" "They haven't broken through the sack yet. This is just a pre labor." Cavalla said. "And how long will that last?" Thresher groaned. "Sometimes up to three days." Cavalla answered honestly and Thresher merely groaned again.

It'd been 24 hours now and still no change. Thresher's fever had spiked during the night and now even in the midday sun she shivered. Cavalla never left her side, not for anything but she knew she had to get some food into her or Thresher would never have the strength to push the pups out when they finally did come. Sighing, she reluctantly moved away to prepare a meal. Thresher woke while she was gone. "C-Cavalla..." She shivered. Cavalla returned carrying a plate of food. "I'm right here Thresher." She assured. "And you need to eat this." She picked up the piece of french toast. "Want, jam on it." Thresher mumbled. "You want jam on it?" Cavalla asked and Thresher nodded the affirmative. Cavalla applied some grape jelly, which she knew Thresher liked, onto the white toast. "Alright now open up." She ordered. Thresher was agreeable, likely because she was hungry, and happily allowed Cavalla to feed her. It was a bit embarrassing for Thresher, being fed by another submarine. But she was so tired she could barely hold her head up, never mind lift a fin to shove food down her throat. Thresher made a noise to indicate she was full and Cavalla set the plate aside. The last thing Thresher felt before she fell asleep was the feel of the cold cloth along her hull.

When she woke the first thing that struck her was how tired she was. She shouldn't be this tired, not even with a birth looming. Something was wrong and it didn't take long for Thresher to figure it out. The felt the cloth against her hull again. "Cavalla!" She called weakly. The stroking stopped and Cavalla made her way into Thresher's view. "I-I've been running on my little battery this whole time." She panted. "And I can't, get my reactor started. Not enough, power..." Her voice faded. "Thresher? Thresher!" Cavalla cried, then swore when she got no response. If Thresher couldn't get her reactor started, she and the pups would die. She needed that power to make it through the labor. San Juan had no shore power station so Thresher had been relying on her backup generators. Shutting down the reactor was a mandatory move in all harbors but now starting it was necessary. But she lacked the power now to do so. There was only one thing Cavalla could do to help her. She would provide the power Thresher needed. Her own diesels fired up first time, thanks to the special care her crew had given them. Lines were attached to Thresher, a sort of umbilical jumper cable. After a few minutes, Cavalla shut down her engines. Thresher had the power she needed, now the rest was up to her.

Thresher twitched a bit in her sleep before she slowly began to come around. It had worked! Thresher blinked, looking up at Cavalla. "How long was I out?" She asked. "Nearly 14 hours." Cavalla replied, her voice tight. Thresher shivered, feeling her pups move one step closer to being born. "I know what you did." She murmured. "Thank you." Thresher leaned into her nuzzle. "Rest Thresher. Rest and let them come." Cavalla murmured. Thresher laid back, feeling the contractions intensify as her pups prepared to enter the world.

Three loud cries sounded in the early morning hours of November 4th, nearly 72 hours after Thresher had gone into labor. At last her pups were born. "Thresher, they're all girls! All three of them!" Cavalla cried joyfully. Thresher laughed despite herself. Having all female offspring meant that she could keep all of them. That they could serve in the navy together. "Let me, let me hold them..." She rasped and three squirming bundles were all placed at her side. They were wet with birthing fluid and Thresher happily licked them clean. Their eyes were closed and they had wrinkles all around their face and little bodies but they would soon dry. They whimpered and whined and Thresher guided each to a teat. They happily latched on and began to suckle. "Have you thought of names?" Cavalla asked and Thresher nodded. "This one's Los Angeles." She nudged the biggest, eldest one. "This one's Bremerton." The second was identical to the first. The third bore resemblance to one of Permit's recent additions, Sturgeon. "And this one is Parche." "Ah Parche my old friend." Cavalla smiled as she recalled. "This Parche will be even greater than the last, Cavalla. I know it." Thresher smiled. "Who am I to argue with mother's intuition." Cavalla chuckled.

When spring came, Thresher was back in Portsmouth on maturity leave for the next 9 months. Her pups were growing quite big and she had developed quite the voracious appetite in order to feed them. Her portions were triple what they used to be. Thresher knew she'd get fat but she rather enjoyed being lazy for a change. It wasn't so bad, especially with these little ones to look after.

Detecting humans approaching, Thresher rose to greet them. She didn't recognize any of them and the scents they gave off told her to be wary. One of them stopped in front of her. "Hello USS Thresher, my name is Bruce Ilvad. I'm with the Central Intelligence Agency." Thresher tossed her head. She knew who the CIA was. "I can speak your language, Thresher. No need for such gestures." He said. Thresher was surprised but decided to go ahead and speak. "And what can I do for you Mr. Ilvad?" She asked. "I have a proposition for you."


	34. Chapter 34 It Was, Fun

Chapter 34~ It was, Fun

 _"It was fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!"_ ~ USS Thresher SS-200

 _ **First Patrol:** "You can't be serious." Was Thresher's reaction when she heard the news. Just a few days ago she and Tautug had been on their way home from a successful simulated war patrol off Midway and now she was being told that war had broken out for real?! "Unfortunately I am." Linchfield replied. "Once you've refueled and restocked your orders are to scout out any Jap merchants that might be lurking in this area." The pair reached the harbor entrance. "Good luck." Linchfield said and away she went. "Wha-but, but..." Thresher tried but the destroyer was gone, leaving Thresher on her own. The sub sighed. "DD's." She grumbled._

 _A day later, Linchfield was back and ordered to rendezvous with Thresher at a prearranged place and time. The sub arrived first and spotting a destroyer that looked similar to her friend, she surfaced. "This is gonna be fun." Thresher chuckled as Linchfield approached. "You're late." She said, happy to tease Linchfield in the spirit of the good old fashioned rivalry between submarines and destroyers. The reception was not quite the one she expected. In reply, a hail of hot lead rained down on her. She yelped and immediately dove deep, realizing too late that was a Jap destroyer. "Okay, that was definitely not fun." She grumbled._

 _ **Second Patrol:** The lovely freighter didn't know she was there. And just as she shouldn't. Thresher grinned to herself as she readied her forward torpedo tubes. "Down the hatch." She giggled and fired. There was a loud bang as one of the fish hit but Thresher couldn't determine much more than that. Rising to take a peak she saw the ship had gone. "I got her!" She laughed, pleased with herself. Her first kill of the war._

 _Her commanding officer, USS Indianapolis, disagreed. "It wasn't a confirmed kill, Thresher." She said. "Aw but..." Thresher whined. "No buts. You want a scorecard, make sure the Jap is dead when you sink it." Indianapolis stated in no uncertain terms. "You're no fun." The submarine huffed and she headed back out to her patrol area._

 _ **Third Patrol:** "Goddamn Japs!" Thresher fumed as she ran away from the Japanese coastline, with the fish of four Japanese submarines on her tail. One exploded close to her and yelping, she dove deep to evade the rest. She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed overhead. "Right, let's find something more fun to do." She muttered._

 _Reaching the safety of American held waters, she spotted a task force led by Enterprise and Hornet. She tried slipping through the destroyer screen undetected but no such luck when Fletcher and two other destroyers began dropping depth charges on her. Thresher surfaced. "Friendly!" She cried. "I'm friendly! Hold your fire!" Hornet sighed. "Thresher, you know better than to sneak up on a task force." She scolded. "But its fun to sneak." Thresher pouted. "Thresher," Hornet sounded like she was trying very hard to control her anger. "Assume your station." Thresher knew better than to argue with that tone. "Yes ma'am." She jumped to it._

 _When she returned a day later, Hornet was stunned at the injuries she had received. "Got the freighter but the Japs sent a aircraft after me." She panted. "Enterprise." Hornet asked. Vestal's apprentice checked Thresher over, being gentle with the sub's wounds. "I can put a temporary patch on these but I would strongly recommend that you go back to Pearl and get those repaired." She said. "No can do." Thresher shook her head. "Thresher, I can make it an order." Enterprise said sternly. "Then I'll disobey it." Thresher smirked. "Face it. You need me out here." Enterprise sighed. "Alright, but be careful." She warned. "Am I ever not?" Thresher grinned and moved off to assume her station with the task force._

 _ **Fourth Patrol:** The tender stood no chance and quickly sank under the onslaught of Thresher's torpedoes. Her escort however had a trick up her stern as Thresher soon found out. Turning to leave the area she found that she couldn't. Wrapped around her stern was a giant hook. Thresher growled. "I ain't becoming a POW no way!" She hissed and revved her engines, putting as many RPMs through them as she could. She turned hard to the right and after 10 minutes, she broke free, diving deep with a hail of depth charges exploding behind her. "YESSS!" She laughed. "SO LONG JAP!"_

 _ **Fifth Patrol:** It was her first mine laying run but that didn't mean Thresher wasn't going to have a little fun if the opportunity aroused. Spotting two large Jap freighters, she got into a position to attack. She waited for the explosion but it never came, her fish having gone straight under the freighters. A repeating occurrence for her throughout the war. "Damn my luck!" She swore._

 _ **Sixth Patrol:** A nice juicy convoy all hers for the taking. She licked her lips. "Time for supper boys." She said and attacked. The first two ships took a direct hit. One was dead in the water, the other was sinking bow first, screws still revolving as they would all the way to the bottom. The escorts forced her to back off._

 _The next night brought even greater fortune. An aircraft carrier, a rare but highly prized target for any submarine. Thresher laughed as she got into position but found that the escorts were holding her at bay. "Let me through you tin cans!" Thresher fumed, forced to watch as the carrier sailed safely over the horizon. "She got away!"_

 _ **Seventh Patrol:** Thresher detected the Japanese submarine first. "Hello there." She grinned and fired a pair of torpedoes. The first was a dud, the second hit the ocean floor. Cursing her bad luck, she turned to her deck gun but the Jap vanished over the horizon leaving the seething American behind. She had the same luck with two convoys later in the patrol._

 _When she returned to Freemantle, Thresher complained to Indianapolis. "These torpedoes are the biggest reason why I keep failing to sink targets." "Sure blame the torpedoes." The cruiser said. "I'm serious!" Thresher hissed. "They never work when I need them to!" "No more whining Thresher unless you want to go back to the states." Indianapolis growled. "So I suggest that you pipe down and make do." Thresher could only pout._

 _ **Eighth Patrol:** "Ugh! I'm bored!" Thresher whined as she had for every single day of this patrol. Her attitude and that of the men's had taken a significant downturn in the last few days. Not a single ship sighted. Nothing to aim their guns at. Just drill after drill after drill and Thresher was getting tired of the same routine. Finally her skipper had had enough. "Alright, turn this pig around we're headed back to Freemantle." He said and everyone, including Thresher who didn't mind being called a "pig", cheered. The submarine put her head down and charged back for Australia. Maybe the next patrol would bring some excitement._

 _ **Ninth Patrol:** One 5000 ton freighter sunk and another running scared. Thresher loved her job. "Yeah run run away Jap coward!" She laughed as she chased after a tanker that was retreating from her at high speed. Crossing the tanker's wake, the sub ran right into some rather foul smelling water. "Ugh! Did she... oh that's disgusting!" Thresher cried as her crew laughed themselves silly. Diving deep to wash the tanker's shit off her face, the sub sighed. "I will never live this one down." _

_**Tenth Patrol:** The new refits felt nice, especially on her conning tower which used to be a lot wider and bulkier. It was nice to develop a more streamlined appearance. Spotting a convoy, Thresher slipped easily through the deep water and fired a spread of torpedoes on a 4300 ton freighter. The fish took care of her quite swiftly. A second attack proved not to be as successful as her fish missed. Cursing the men who built her defective weapons, Thresher dove deep as the escorts commenced a harassing depth charge. Not at all in her area. The sub snickered to herself as she slipped silently away._

 _ **Eleventh Patrol:** The South China Sea was a nice place to be. The waters were warm and when she cruised on the surface, Thresher always enjoyed being a little playful. When a pair of masts were sighted on the horizon though, she became totally serious. With 10 successful patrols under her keel, Thresher had become a seasoned veteran of the Pacific War and knew exactly what it was she had to do. She dove to avoid detection but kept an eye on the masts. Once she determined it was just a small fishing trawler, she rose to the surface and used her deck gun. She didn't need to use as much ordinance as she did but she was bored and had nothing better to do. Laughing, she left the torn mangled wreck of the trawler to sink._

 _ **Twelve Patrol:** She spotted a convoy of three freighters with a destroyer as an escort. They were moving fast but Thresher would be damned if she let them get away. She got into position and opened fire. The first two were sunk easily. The third tried to make a run for it. Thresher fell in behind, determined to get it. She fired her torpedoes and made a sharp right turn to steer clear of the explosion. She was too slow in getting away as her prey went up in flames. The concussion from the blast knocked her out for several minutes. By the time she regained consciousness the third freighter, though injured, was out of her reach. Sighing, she called it quits and set sail for Guam her head pounding._

 _"You're berthbound for at least 2 weeks." was the verdict. "Ugh! Damn Japs." Thresher grumbled in reply. But it served her right for getting too close in an area where she shouldn't have been. In reality, the submarine considered herself lucky just to be alive. "Alive to have some more fun." She chuckled before closing her eyes to rest._

 _ **Thirteenth Patrol:** Apogon and Piranha were newcomers to the war, both commissioned in 1943. They were eager and inexperienced, something that Thresher and Guardfish would have to beat out of them, lest the Japanese do the same. Thresher was in overall command of the wolfpack, a post that made her feel giddy inside but she knew she could not mess this up. This would be her only chance to prove herself as a capable leader. "Alright listen up you Mickey Finns!" She ordered. "Our patrol area is the Formosa-Luzon route. A common one for Jap ships. When you have a Jap in sight, radio its position. Do not, I repeat DO NOT engage alone. We're working as a team here. Understood?" "YES USS THRESHER, MA'AM!" came the reply. Thresher bit back a smirk. "Alright, let's move out!"_

 _Despite the route's lucrative targets the wolfpack only came across a few trawlers and patrol craft, nothing worth sinking. Then, after a month of waiting, a convoy arrived. "Got 'em. 15 miles out and closing fast." Apogon said. "I see 'em." Guardfish reported. "I don't. Where are they?" Piranha whined. The inexperienced Baleo-class was out of her element. "Piranha you hang back for now but ready your torpedoes." Thresher ordered. "Guardfish, Apogon you're with me. Guardfish will take the convoy's starboard flank. Apogon, you have the port. I'll trail behind ready to pick off any stragglers. Now let's move!" The subs spread out, each taking their position with the convoy as they came through the pass. The escort detected Thresher and latched onto her, which deprived her of the chance to attack the freighters but she instead used this to her advantage. "I've got the escort, go for it!" She ordered and the two other subs opened fire. Their torpedoes hit and did some damage but not enough to sink the ships. Piranha got one in her sights and opened fire as well, only to have it turn on her. "Piranha get out of there!" Apogon ordered and got the younger sub safely out of the way but she herself couldn't move in time. The 6000 ton cargo ship went up in flames just as it rammed the submarine. Apogon was able to dive and free herself but the damage was done. When she surfaced, Thresher could see the damage to her sail. "That looks bad, Apogon." She said. "I look worse than I..." She hissed in pain. "Feel." She finished with a sigh. Thresher's green eyes softened. "Go back to Guam." She ordered. "But Thresher, I can manage!" Apogon protested. "That's an order." The other sub growled. Apogon nodded. "Yes ma'am." She agreed and returned to port for repairs. Piranha was a bit shaken from her ordeal. "It was my fault." She whimpered. "I shouldn't have been where I was." "Aye and then if Apogon hadn't intervened then you would be the one returning home if you were that lucky." Guardfish growled before Thresher could say anything. "Chin up, kiddo. You'll learn." The Gato-class assured. "Yeah but at what cost." Piranha muttered as she fell in line with the other two. There was still a convoy to be dealt with._

 _There were 6 ships remaining. A large tanker, three freighters and two escorts. "Hello, hello." She grinned, eying the juicy tanker. "I got dibs on this one!" She called and fired. Guardfish and Piranha both took up their stations but were content to let Thresher take the lead on this one. After all, the Tambor-class had a score to settle. She fired three torpedoes at the lead freighter, another three at the escort, leaving the tanker vulnerable. Whipping her bow around she launched her stern tubes while her forward ones could be reloaded. All four torpedoes were aimed at the second freighter. Retreating to reload, she quickly resumed her attack. Despite a barrage of torpedoes at the remaining freighter and oiler, the two remained stubbornly afloat. Reloading her tubes she resumed the chase. While her stern tubes were reloaded, she launched those in her bow. Two struck the tanker, another two struck the oiler which both sank. The escort took at least 2 more torpedo hits before it too disappeared. Thresher had just sunk the entire convoy. Guardfish and Piranha both stood in shock at what they had just witnessed. She surfaced beside them, shaking her bow free of spray. "Save some for us why don't ya?" Guardfish whined. Thresher for her part had the grace to look sheepish. "Hehe sorry." She said. "But it was fun. Fun! Fun! Fun!"_

...

18 YEARS LATER APRIL 9 1963 PORTSMOUTH HARBOR MAINE

"Ah those were the good old days weren't they?" Piranha asked her companion. "Wouldn't trade them for nothing, though these Soviets do present a fun challenge. And I like a fun challenge." "Everything's about fun for you isn't it, Thresher." The new nuclear sub grinned. "Only when I make it so." She replied. Piranha rolled her eyes. She'd spent the last 20 years tied to this dock and when Thresher had asked if the two could share a drink she wasn't about to turn it down. While her friends newest incarnation was impressive, Piranha found her to be even more immature than she used to be. "What's the matter Piranha? I thought you missed me." Thresher faked a pout. Piranha snorted. "You know for a ship who was the most decorated in World War 2 you sure are immature." She said. Thresher barked a laugh. "Well I sure didn't get my 15 battle stars for being a serious cuss." She replied. "Besides you weren't so stuffy yourself." "Oh please." Piranha huffed. "I was never as immature as you." "No but you did have your moments." Thresher grinned as she reenacted one such time. "Oh please save me." She gasped, rolling on her back and wriggling. "I'm being attacked by a Jap cargo ship." "I was young okay." Piranha groaned, knowing Thresher would never let her live the day down when she panicked on her first patrol. They joked about it now but at the time it was serious, nearly costing Apogon her life.

"You heading out today yes?" Piranha asked, hoping to redirect the conversation. The last thing she needed was to encourage Thresher to tell more embarrassing stories. "In a few hours yes. I've got some deep diving tests I've got to do. Test the new equipment, that sort of thing." She replied. "Not nearly as exciting as some of the old patrols huh?" Piranha chuckled and Thresher smiled around her teacup. She wasn't allowed alcohol until her newborn pups were weened. Said little bundles, three of them, squirmed at her side. "Not even close." She agreed as Piranha leaned down to get a better look at them. "I'd say they're adorable but in a few months they'll become nasty little rascals like you were." "Hey, hey, hey!" Thresher punched her good naturedly. "I'm a good girl." "Now you are but then, phew you were a rite little troublemaker. Did you know that Indianapolis tried numerous times to get you transferred to another command. She even attempted to push Pennsylvania into agreeing that subs should have their own field commander rather than another ship type run them." "Aye and she succeeded too. Hence my promotion." Thresher grinned. She always got a kick out of remembering that day. She'd been such thorn in Indianapolis' side that the cruiser appealed again and again to Pennsylvania to let the subs have their own submarine commander just like the other ships in the navy had theirs. Pennsylvania agreed and the submarine force unanimously chose Thresher to lead them. Thresher still had the photo of that day. The look on Indianapolis' face had to be captured for history. "I still think you tortured the poor girl a bit too much." Piranha said. "Ah, maybe a little but how else was I going to get my fun. Being depth charged and outrunning torps isn't my idea of entertainment." Thresher replied, leaning down to nuzzle her eldest child, Los Angeles, as she wriggled. "You're fortunate they're all girls." Piranha said. "Yes." Thresher agreed with a sigh. "Permit wasn't so lucky. All but one of her pups were boys. As soon as they're weened they'll be released into the wild." "It's a good thing though isn't it? Our numbers have gotten so low in the open seas these last few hundred years." Piranha said. "Yes, I suppose in a way it is." Thresher agreed. "And I know Permit would agree but..." "But they're her children." Piranha nodded her understanding.

Thresher shifted. "Piranha, I had a good reason for coming here today." She said. "Somehow I thought you might. Despite your immaturity you do have a purpose for things. Even simple ones." Piranha replied. "I want you to care for my pups." Thresher said. "Thresher, I can't even produce milk anymore! I'm too old for that!" Piranha protested. "How can I possibly care for something I cannot feed." "Then have Permit feed them. But I want you to raise them, Piranha." "You talk as though you won't come back." Piranha frowned. "That's because I won't." Thresher's breath hitched. "I can't share the details but I won't be coming back from this patrol. Nor will I ever." Piranha's vision swam with tears. "Don't go then Thresher. Stay here." She begged. "I can't. I'm sorry." Thresher whispered. She gently plucked each pup from her side and handed them to Piranha. A small basket was set in front of the older sub, containing a rolled up letter addressed to each, the names scrolled on the side. _"Parche" "Los Angeles"_ and _"Bremerton"_. Thresher handed Piranha a fourth letter, addressed to her. "I'm counting on you." She said and Piranha nodded, taking the letter. "I won't let you down." She promised. Thresher hugged her, giving Piranha a few comforting pats behind her sail before turning her attention to her pups. "You're all good girls." She said. "You're all good and I love you very much." Los Angeles rolled around, sucking her port fin. Bremerton was blowing bubbles with her spit while Parche rolled on her back, wanting Thresher to blow on her belly. Their innocence brought about a said smile from Thresher, who leaned down and did what Parche wanted, earning herself a squeal of laughter. Thresher nuzzled her youngest pup who purred and gripped her nose as Thresher pulled back. Piranha gently pried Parche free, leaving the pup confused and a bit sad. Thresher turned her attention to her remaining two pups, picking them up and holding them to her chest. She nuzzled Los Angeles and kissed Bremerton. "M'amoursine, gui'tas."* She whispered.

Reluctantly, she let them go and Piranha took them. "I will raise them well." She promised. "You better." Thresher growled, her voice breaking slightly. She turned to go, heading for the open sea. She heard the wails of her pups behind her as they realized their mother was leaving. "I'm sorry babies. I-I'm so sorry..." Thresher could not see a thing as she left, blinded by tears.

Once she was gone and the babies were asleep, Piranha opened the letter that Thresher had left for her. Once she was finished reading she pulled out a lighter and, fins shaking slightly in anger, lit the paper on fire as per the letter's instructions. Thresher wasn't to blame. Oh no, it was those who forced her into it. Those bastards who called themselves the Central Intelligence Agency! The old submarine's anger was always feared but the worst part was she couldn't show it. Thresher would live through that patrol and only Piranha had that knowledge. For the rest of the fleet, Thresher's death would be fact. Her pups would grow up believing their mother had died, and Piranha could never tell them the truth.


End file.
